To me I think more people need to be armed just to protect themselves and not others. Depending on situation of course. I'm really not sure how I'd react in a situation if I'm with my wife and Kids and something like this is going on off to the distance or at a point where technically I'm safe. I know my Wife and Daughter FREAK OUT. Any dangerous scenario they are deer in the headlights. So my main priority would be ensuring them everything will be fine. Now should the attack come closer then I'd get them running in a safe direction and engage.

But honestly my main priority for carrying is to protect me and my family FIRST.

I've known a some women that seemed like that too. Until they thought their kids were in trouble. Meek, mild, and if they thought someone was going to hurt their kids, I have no doubt they would kill that person in a heartbeat. Wouldn't bat an eye. Wouldn't shed a tear. No remorse.

Don't discount a mother defending her kids.

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Vegan by proxy.

That's why I dread going out with my cousin on those rare occasions when I'm in Chicago.

She's very religious and WAY too nice for her own good. She engages with street beggars and the like. Me, if you're not immediate family or a friend, you're suspect, especially in Chicago.

My very real concern is that something might happen and my cousin might try to protect our assailant(s) from ME.

I'm a sixty year old overweight man. I know that if I'm going to prevail, especially in a place like Chicago which is more concerned for the welfare of the predators than their prey, I've got to respond with extreme violence and shock out of the gate.

I've got to be PERMANENTLY harming people before they can overwhelm me, even if I don't have a gun. I'm really worried that if I've got my thumbs in somebody's eye sockets up to the elbows, she's going to try to restrain ME, in which case we BOTH end up dead.

I agree although I would add there aren't any guarantees how anyone will react no matter what their experience. Any individuals given response is situationally dependent and people can change fairly drastically over time. Just because someone reacted in a certain way in one or even multiple scenarios at a given time, doesn't mean they will do the same again. There is always a certain amount of unpredictability no matter who is involved.

The family and I have been practicing “situational awareness” for years
White
Yellow
Orange
Red
These are a mental state of mind.

Our LGS / range has classroom training available, we have all been to that specific session as well as many others.
The wife (45) , & daughters ( 16 years Sophomore / 13 years 7th grader) have responded positively to the training.

Look at the news.
Random attacks are happening more frequently.
Being aware of your surroundings and aware, greatly increases your chances of survival.

EDC means every day carry, so why not carry all day every day?
Carry to Lowes, to dinner , to work , to church , to the local market to pick up smokes or milk.
Carry where no carry signs are posted. When you conceal carry, nobody knows but you.
My 2 cents….

Quite true, and yet they're only "random" in the most general sense.

"Knife and car" jihadis are like Typhoons and Thunderbolts roving the skies of France and Germany at low altitude, looking for "targets of opportunity".

They may not have a SPECIFIC target in mind, but they have a very clear target PROFILE:

1. unarmed or poorly armed
2. concentrated in a confined space
3. limited in their ability to flee or evade
4. lacking a "warrior" mentality

Few of us are SPECIFIC targets.

We're ALL targets of opportunity.

I won't post the link but Google; "I'm Millwall" to see what an unarmed British soccer fan can do when faced by three knife wielding terrorists.

Like some here, he wasn't going to go out on his knees.

I have no illusions about myself, as far as being able to physically fight someone off, all I have going for me is adrenaline and I know that does not last long.

That's why I carry an LCP in my pocket. Whether the sign says I can or not.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

The bottom line is, are you willing to do what it takes to prevail and survive?

Their entire strategy is based on you NOT be willing to outmatch them in violence and ruthlessness.

Like the Japanese and the Germans, they've convinced themselves that we won't fight back.

My response is, "Have you asked a Comanche about that?"

I truly hope and pray that I am.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I saw that article today.
Balls of steel.....

London Bridge attack: Millwall fan took on 3 terrorists | Daily Mail Online

I will be in London next month.

Not afraid a bit...and happy to take one for the team though I hope it won't be necessary.

The world needs more people like Mr. Larner. I hope to cross paths with him or others like him. I will be happy to buy one and all a pint.

Be safe.

These gutless yellow bellies attack women and kids first-in places where guns are scarce.

They're doing the "Frank Booth" thing from the movie "Blue Velvet". They're over the top crazy because they think it scares people and eliminates whatever will they have to resist. Of course they think we're ALL cowards with no will to resist.

To this end, they recruit random psychopaths and sadists who'll stampede the "sheep". What they don't count on is people every bit as willing to use the same extreme violence in self-defense and the defense of others.

EVERY time one of these knife attacks takes place, the perpetrators should already be DEAD when the cops get there, shot, stabbed, beaten or run over by their intended victims.

When people ALLOW themselves to be slaughtered without fighting back, they're actually HELPING ISIS by reinforcing their sense of superiority and impunity.

He was speaking of the Germans, but it applies generally to the Europeans (and disgustingly some "Americans") when Dennis Prager says words to the effect of, "They went directly from "evil", to "fighting is evil", skipping entirely over "fighting evil".

That's what I refer to as "societal auto-genocide", the desire of those in authority to destroy their own societies, but lacking the intestinal fortitude to do it themselves, they import hordes of barbarians to do it for them, while discouraging their own people from even verbally protesting, much less fighting back.

One thing I think is interesting is in the U.S. the slogan for an an active shooter/active killer is "Run/Hide/Fight." In GB, it's "Run/Hide/Tell."

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Vegan by proxy.

This discussion is nice, but academic.

To the Clintons, Bloombergs, Schumers of the world, it is the DUTY of "civilians" to sacrifice themselves in these circumstances and having an effective means of defense is not an option (except for the glorious leaders, who need security because we need them to herd us around).

For that matter, self-defense in England is illegal anyway.

No, the answer, in the mind of the hoplophobe, is that we all just have to die when our number is called, all in the name of a "civilized society" that does not need guns or self-defense.

Pathetic times we live in.

It would be more accurate to say that EFFECTIVE self-defense is illegal in England.

That having been said, I have little doubt that if the Mayor of London could come up with ANY semi-plausible basis for prosecuting the Milwall(sp?) fan who went after the jihadis, he would.

I've been in several life threatening situations and fully agree .. In one the big (6'7") guy ended up having to be actually tied up for his own good or he would have been killed because he panicked .. and the meek little book worm took control and made decisions that ended up helping all of us involved survive a situation we were forced to be in .. 174 people died that night ..

You never know how you will react when you are put into situations that are life threatening until you are there .. and if you don't panic you fall back on what ever training you have..

I agree that it is getting more dangerous. We have to be more aware of what is going on around us for the reasons you mention. The terrorists are becoming more varied in their attacks. What with knife attacks, and attacks using trucks and cars there is even less time to be aware of things happening. Instead it becomes more important to think ahead, and particularly avoid being wherever large crowds congregate, if we can avoid them. And to always look for escape or cover positions to avoid a potential attack. Situational Awareness is becoming more critical as the attacks become more varied and allow less time to react. There is little chance to defend against a car or truck attack. Unfortunately, they can occur at the blink of an eye. When they do are they the result of a bonafide accident or a terror attack? It makes a difference how we respond after the event.