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Have you been in a mass/public shooting?
- Thread starter ChouGoku
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There was a bomb threat and shooting in my college once. A professor who is a former politician who campaigned for secularity and liberalism had his class disrupted by a Muslim student in favor of the religious regime. She was wearing a bomb vest or backpack, and she got shot down by the bodyguards of the professor before she could pull the trigger. I was across the hall from this when it happened, and they swiftly evacuated the building. It was scary, especially scarier in hindsight when I realized I was seconds away from being blown up, and turned out that she had enough explosives to level the building.
edit: this happened outside America
edit: this happened outside America
Arthr2ShdsJcksn
Banned
I was at Columbine, Newton, University of Virginia, and Aurora. You know.. the biggest hits of the 90s, 2000s and today.
I have never been close to anything even newsworthy, let alone any killings, and hope to never see anything so awful in person.
I'm not sure if this counts.
The details of this are obviously blurry and possibly inaccurate as I was in elementary school.
I was on the playground which was fenced in and next to the back of the cafeteria, when a guy came running out of the back door firing a gun into the air. I remember a limb, probably small fall off of a tree near the fence. He jumped in his car and drove off while a bunch of custodians or lunch staff yelled and chased him.
Next thing I remember is all of us being taken to a classroom, hiding under desks with the lights out.
Turns out two custodians got into an argument in the lunchroom. One of them went out to his car, grabbed a gun and then shot the other while he was standing next to a table full of kids at lunch. What I witnessed was him leaving the scene.
Edit:
Crazy enough, I just found an article about it. It's interesting the articles state he fired at us on the playground, when I clearly remember him shooting the rifle up into the trees, and the limb falling. I might have literally dodged a bullet.
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/C...-Shooting/id-a4133fc31ef06120272a4fda121896fc
The details of this are obviously blurry and possibly inaccurate as I was in elementary school.
I was on the playground which was fenced in and next to the back of the cafeteria, when a guy came running out of the back door firing a gun into the air. I remember a limb, probably small fall off of a tree near the fence. He jumped in his car and drove off while a bunch of custodians or lunch staff yelled and chased him.
Next thing I remember is all of us being taken to a classroom, hiding under desks with the lights out.
Turns out two custodians got into an argument in the lunchroom. One of them went out to his car, grabbed a gun and then shot the other while he was standing next to a table full of kids at lunch. What I witnessed was him leaving the scene.
Edit:
Crazy enough, I just found an article about it. It's interesting the articles state he fired at us on the playground, when I clearly remember him shooting the rifle up into the trees, and the limb falling. I might have literally dodged a bullet.
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1989/C...-Shooting/id-a4133fc31ef06120272a4fda121896fc
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
Not even being snarky, but I live in England. So scenarios like those never really enter my mind on a day to day basis. I'd definitely be on edge if I lived in the US, though. Even though relative to the size of the population, mass shootings aren't THAT common. But the perception is there thanks to the media.
Tyrant Rave
Banned
When I was in high school a girl shot and killed another girl outside of the cafeteria while I was at lunch. Didn't see anything but that's the closest I've been to something like that.
Chezzymann
Member
Nah, haven't seen a gun more than twice, and I feel pretty safe here. Never heard or met anyone that has. I feel they're being overblown by the media and despite being covered all the time are still very rare.
I'm in Texas
UbuntuSolo
Neo Member
Closest I have ever been was my school being put on lockdown when I was a senior in high school. Someone (not a student) apparently lost a game of Russian Roulette in the parking lot right outside of the classroom my class was in. I remember a lot of the students being pretty scared, but mostly our teacher doing one hell of a job of calming everyone down (and getting in some current events discussion in as this was AP Government). Ended up dismissing about 2 hours later than usual.
AlimNassor
Banned
Boy, but was involved in mass stabbing. I think it was a gang fight but, basically guy came onto campus with a big knife and stabbed a few people. Don't think anyone died but, it was crazy.
The closest I've been to a potentially dangerous situation was a few years ago when I was waiting for my ride and some shady looking guy sitting next to me started babbling :
"I've got some money here in my pocket. Wan't to take it?"
"Nope, I'm good"
"Are you sure? It's right there"
"I don't want to take your money"
"That's good BECAUSE LOOK AT THIS (has a gun). I WOULD'VE BLOWN YOUR BRAINS OUT HAD YOU SAID YES!"
"Yeah....."
And then he left while mumbling something to himself. Some people are just out there.
"I've got some money here in my pocket. Wan't to take it?"
"Nope, I'm good"
"Are you sure? It's right there"
"I don't want to take your money"
"That's good BECAUSE LOOK AT THIS (has a gun). I WOULD'VE BLOWN YOUR BRAINS OUT HAD YOU SAID YES!"
"Yeah....."
And then he left while mumbling something to himself. Some people are just out there.
Poltergust
Member
Sort of? During my freshman year at UT, someone was firing a gun at the library, which was one building over from where I was (Jester Hall). I was in the classroom, and I remember wishing that I could just go back to my dorm room since it was in the same building (and sectioned off by a bulletproof glass wall, seriously).
As it turned out, the shooter (who was a student) only fired a few shots into the ceiling (on the... 5th floor, I think), then shot himself in the head. What a crazy way to go out, but at least no one else got hurt.
As it turned out, the shooter (who was a student) only fired a few shots into the ceiling (on the... 5th floor, I think), then shot himself in the head. What a crazy way to go out, but at least no one else got hurt.
Crabernacle
Member
Been in a shooting? No. But when I was living in DC I had a guy get gunned down on my front stoop, less than 10 feet from where I was sitting. Heard 8 or 9 pops outside my front door. When I stuck my head out the smell of gunpowder was thick in the air and there was a guy just laying there on his back, struggling for breath. A couple of us tried to help. We got his shirt open and could see 5-6 bullet wounds going up his side. The bullet holes seemed so tiny. It must have been a small caliber gun, probably a .22. There were no exit wounds that we could see, so there wasn't much we could do but stay with him until Police and Rescue got there. I'll never forget his eyes, not focusing on anyone or anything, no matter what anyone tried. He just kept staring straight ahead and drawing these ragged breaths.
The worst part was when his family showed up. I don't think they knew in advance, just wandered up to see what the commotion was about. One girl, I don't know if it was a sister or a cousin or what, pushed her way to the front of the crowd and caught sight of the body on the sidewalk. She let out this inhuman wail and collapsed on herself. Homicide Detectives came by the next week and distributed reward posters.
The worst part was when his family showed up. I don't think they knew in advance, just wandered up to see what the commotion was about. One girl, I don't know if it was a sister or a cousin or what, pushed her way to the front of the crowd and caught sight of the body on the sidewalk. She let out this inhuman wail and collapsed on herself. Homicide Detectives came by the next week and distributed reward posters.
Yaphett Kotto
Member
I've been shot at, but it wasn't a mass shooting.
Again, they aren't commonplace. It's not good that they happen at all but they are pretty damn rare.
And that's all it is, a perception. No one I know is "on edge" or even worried about getting shot. Like I said, there are areas where it is a problem and in those places people are probably worried, but that's not a universal truth or even the norm here.
The person who posted earlier about where he lived in Sweden lived in a far more violent place (gun violence even) than I've ever lived in the U.S....in fucking Sweden.
It's not overblown, but when that's ALL you see on the news it tends to make people, especially people who don't live here, think that it's a common thing and that people in this country have to walk around with bullet proof vests and dodge bullets on a constant basis. The fact is the the vast majority of the people in this country don't have to, and don't, worry about being shot.
The last numbers I have put the number of gun homicides at around 11,000 per year. Sounds like a lot, right? Well it is a lot, more than it should be, but when you look at the population for that same year (2011) 311 million it becomes clear that the chances of getting killed with a gun in a homicide is infinitesimally small. Like .0035%.
Yes, this country has too many guns and far too many gun deaths, but the perception that this entire country is dangerous and violent, that mass shootings are "commonplace" and that people are scared to leave their homes is just absurd. People read nothing but the bad constantly and they scare themselves into believing something that just isn't true.
Lan Dong Mik
And why would I want them?
I was planning on going to the midnight showing of TDKR at Century 16 the night when the shootings happened. My wife and I got into a huge fight over it because our baby was just over a month and I hadn't got out of the house in over 2 months or so so me and my buddy were gonna go but she begged me not to leave her alone and I finally just said fuck it and stayed home. Later on that night we both woke up for some reason and the TV was on the news and we just sat there and looked at each other dumbfounded. I still think about it all the time. If I hadn't just had a baby I would have been there for sure.
BlackSalad
Member
I was at a restaurant (Desert Edge) in Trolley Square during the 2007 shooting in salt lake city.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_Square_shooting
A group of friends and I were eating dinner on the second floor of the mall when a bunch of gunshots were heard from outside. Someone came running into the restaurant yelling that a guy was walking around outside shooting at people with a gun.
The manager of the place put everyone (maybe 15 of us total) into the bathroom and we waited it out, hearing many gunshots. Swat came into the bathroom and told us to run and follow them, which we did. We ran through part of the mall to get to one of the parking lots and were told to look down and keep moving, the scene was pretty horrific-I caught a glimpse of a couple victims on the way out.
I'm shaking just thinking about it again
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_Square_shooting
A group of friends and I were eating dinner on the second floor of the mall when a bunch of gunshots were heard from outside. Someone came running into the restaurant yelling that a guy was walking around outside shooting at people with a gun.
The manager of the place put everyone (maybe 15 of us total) into the bathroom and we waited it out, hearing many gunshots. Swat came into the bathroom and told us to run and follow them, which we did. We ran through part of the mall to get to one of the parking lots and were told to look down and keep moving, the scene was pretty horrific-I caught a glimpse of a couple victims on the way out.
I'm shaking just thinking about it again
This was about 3 years ago and I remember it being on in the local news here. A jazz festival of all places...crazy.
Ray Wonder
Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I live in a bad neighborhood, I've heard hundreds of gun shots over the years, but I've never been in a situation where there were people shooting and I was at risk of being hit. I've had a gun pointed at me by an intruder. That was fucking scary.
Serpens007
Member
Sort of.
Every September 11 here in Chile there are night riots to "remember" the events of that day of 1973. These past years it's been quiter, but when I was a kid they were a battle. I could watch the rioters and cops throwing rocks and tear gas all over the place, we had to seal our house to avoid the gas lol.
Now, usually there wasn't any gunfire shooting, or if there was, it was minimal, so it wasn't a "mass shooting", but it's the closest thing.
Every September 11 here in Chile there are night riots to "remember" the events of that day of 1973. These past years it's been quiter, but when I was a kid they were a battle. I could watch the rioters and cops throwing rocks and tear gas all over the place, we had to seal our house to avoid the gas lol.
Now, usually there wasn't any gunfire shooting, or if there was, it was minimal, so it wasn't a "mass shooting", but it's the closest thing.
Have you seen the number of yes answers in this thread, though? Assuming everyone's being honest, I'm pretty shocked.
Octavianus
Banned
No but I got close once, I left De Ridderhof in Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands only a couple of minutes before Tristan van der Vlis killed six people, injured many others and finally killed himself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphen_aan_den_Rijn_shopping_mall_shooting
Felt pretty sureal hearing about it on the news once I got home. Glad I left before it happened obviously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphen_aan_den_Rijn_shopping_mall_shooting
Felt pretty sureal hearing about it on the news once I got home. Glad I left before it happened obviously.
Shots were fired at a party at a house I lived in about 15 years ago.
Luckily for me I was knocked out on the ground from a sucker punch to the face with brass knuckles.
Was robbed at gunpoint once; no shots were fired but one of the guys was aiming his gun at me and the other was saying "DO it, do it!" I backed away slowly, they eventually ran. I think it was some sort of gang initiation and luckily the guy chickened out.
Luckily for me I was knocked out on the ground from a sucker punch to the face with brass knuckles.
Was robbed at gunpoint once; no shots were fired but one of the guys was aiming his gun at me and the other was saying "DO it, do it!" I backed away slowly, they eventually ran. I think it was some sort of gang initiation and luckily the guy chickened out.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
In late 2011, I ended up driving through a shoot-out late at night in Troy, Alabama. Gunfire, a handful of cars peeling out and scattering across 4 lanes of traffic in opposite directions all around me, and then I pass by some ambulances and patrol cars driving toward the scene about a minute later.
I'm still not sure what went down, exactly. I remember being just floored by a friend's reaction when I told him. It didn't shock him, and he didn't think I was bullshitting him. It was just a very nonchalant "yeah, that'll happen."
I'm still not sure what went down, exactly. I remember being just floored by a friend's reaction when I told him. It didn't shock him, and he didn't think I was bullshitting him. It was just a very nonchalant "yeah, that'll happen."
The_Darkest_Red
Member
I was a freshmen at Virginia Tech the year of the shooting. The first shooting happened in my dorm a few stories above me while I was sleeping. No one on our floor heard any gunshots. When I woke up the second shooting had already happened and I followed developments through emails from the university and the news. I remember an email that told us to close our windows and avoid standing near them. I also remember huddling around a small TV with a group of 10 or so friends in a dorm room the moment they updated the death count to 32. It was one of the most surreal and horrific feelings I have ever experienced.
I wasn't close friends with any of the victims but one of the victims lived on the floor above me. I still remember the day his family came to move his stuff out, it was truly heartbreaking.
Honestly it's still pretty difficult to talk about but more than anything the whole experience just feels surreal. There are moments I will never forget, that much is certain.
I wasn't close friends with any of the victims but one of the victims lived on the floor above me. I still remember the day his family came to move his stuff out, it was truly heartbreaking.
Honestly it's still pretty difficult to talk about but more than anything the whole experience just feels surreal. There are moments I will never forget, that much is certain.
Mammoth Jones
Member
Had a guy pull a gun on me and my friends in public. Like 12 or so. We ran like shit and thankfully an off-duty cop was nearby and dealt with it.
People sometimes get shot in the street in my area (maybe a few per year) but thankfully never been around when it happens.
People sometimes get shot in the street in my area (maybe a few per year) but thankfully never been around when it happens.
I've been in two situations where guns were drawn but nobody fired. The first was a felony stop. The car immediately in front of us was suddenly forced off of the road by two police cars. A third cop car arrived and 6 cops, guns drawn and pointed at the driver of the car, arrested him. No idea what it was about.
The second time was at a dragstrip in Alabama. A group of white guys and a group of black guys had a bet on a race between their friends' cars. The losing group refused to pay up. Things escalated and one of the white guys pulled a gun. After he threatened the black guys with the gun a few times he gave it to his girlfriend and she hit it in the stroller of the baby she had with her. No, I'm serious. She stuffed a (presumably) loaded gun underneath a baby. Then they all left.
The second time was at a dragstrip in Alabama. A group of white guys and a group of black guys had a bet on a race between their friends' cars. The losing group refused to pay up. Things escalated and one of the white guys pulled a gun. After he threatened the black guys with the gun a few times he gave it to his girlfriend and she hit it in the stroller of the baby she had with her. No, I'm serious. She stuffed a (presumably) loaded gun underneath a baby. Then they all left.
goldenpp72
Member
This seems like an unusual question, I doubt most anyone has been involved in one. It's not THAT common, and I was raised in Detroit for awhile.
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