Wyatt Earp disbursed many a lynch mob with his resolute demeanor standing behind his Colt .45 six shooters or a shotgun. Was his threat overkill? I don’t think so! It worked and usually, not a shot was fired. Check that thought. What about a “flash mob?”

Kevin Costner as Wyatt Earp

Are they less or more deadly than what Earp encountered? And do you have the reputation of a Marshall Wyatt Earp?

Does the pictured 12 gauge 15-round Kel-Tec Scatter Gun send out the wrong idea? I don’t think so. One might want a scatter gun if confronted by a violent mob. However, one is unlikely to be prepared as such. I am trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Do you have a problem shooting twenty or more violent hoodlums intent on beating you down to the ground?

Kel-Tec KSG 15 shot 12-gauge 

A “flash mob” is defined as a group of people who assemble rapidly in a public place, perform an odd and apparently pointless act for a brief period, and then disperse. Flash mobs typically are organized via social media, viral emails and cell phone texts. Until recently, flash mobs were organized for purposes of diversion, street theater, and artistic expression. However, recently, the phenomenon has taken a violent turn.

 In recent flash mob attacks both in Europe and in the United States, large, loosely organized wolf packs of teenagers bent on committing violent mayhem have struck in public places, and have seriously injured innocent people caught by surprise in the crowd.

Those injured were in a place they had a right to be, and they were not in places where they would have expected to be targeted for victimization, such as in high crime locations. What can you as a law abiding citizen do to protect yourself and your loved ones from this blight?

Let’s not confuse cause with effect!

 It does not matter why violent hooligans choose to get swept up in a viral tidal wave of violent behavior. What matters to those innocently caught up in it is how to get out of it alive with intact limbs.

Semantics

Let’s define our terms. “Flash mob” is a politically correct term for riot. The objective of the rioters is to hurt people. Whether the rioters are drunk, mean, evil, politically motivated, disenfranchised, or whatever, is irrelevant. They are violent criminal actors, or VCA’s. If you are unlucky enough to be caught in their path, they are threatening your life and limb. It is like being a Jew caught in the path of Nazi Storm Troopers in pre-World War II Germany. So, let’s get our meaning straight. There is nothing cute or politically correct about a violent flash mob. So, be aware. 

Be A.W.A.R.E.

Being A.W.A.R.E. entails being Alert, being Willing, having a good Attitude, being Ready, and being Even tempered.

Alert

You need to watch your 360 so you can see trouble coming in advance. Often you can see early warning signs. Since action is faster than reaction, if you see trouble coming, you can stack the deck in your favor. That ideally will mean beating feet out of there. However, this may not be possible. Flash mobs descend like a tornado and you can be caught unaware, or be trapped in a situation where you cannot safely retreat. So, are you willing?

Willing
If you want to survive, you must be willing to do whatever you have to do to survive a lethal force confrontation if you have no other choice.

That’s why we carry a firearm—for the gravest of extremes. Being confronted by a flash mob of violent hoodlums intent on beating you and your companions down is a grave situation. It can easily cause your death or cause you grievous bodily harm. The reality is not what is depicted in a cartoon, a slap stick comedy, or in a TV western. It is a reality horror show. The best that can happen is you get to survive with grievous injuries. You will be fighting for your life, and there will be no time to hesitate.

If you are cornered and faced with such a disparity of force, due to the number of assailants intent on doing you and your companions physical harm, and if you are in fear for your life, all of the conditions that justify the use of deadly force will have been met.

In order to survive, you need to be willing to use deadly force if you find yourself in this type of grave situation. If you truly and reasonably believe that your life, or the lives of persons under the mantle of your protection, are in imminent danger as a result of your being confronted by persons presenting an immediate and unavoidable threat of death or grave bodily harm, you are justified in employing deadly force. Do you have the necessary mindset and attitude?

Attitude

Be thoughtful, willing to learn, humble, and reasonably friendly, although certainly not overly friendly. Don’t “cop an attitude” before you know the facts. However, once you know the score, your attitude needs to be congruent with the threat level with which you are confronted. Remember that lawful concealed carry is for the “good guys and gals.” It is for those who are pro-social, not anti-social. If you are not antisocial, and you have not instigated the situation, you have the right to use whatever force is necessary to repel unavoidable unlawful force directed at you–such as being attacked by a “flash mob” of VCA’s. Are you ready?

Ready

A gun will do you no good if you are not ready. Being in a state of readiness entails being alert and aware so you can observe what is going on around you. You have to be observant to notice anything out of the ordinary. Once you observe something is out of kilter, then you will orient to it in order to rapidly analyze the situation and decide what to do. Dithering means death. Once you decide, you must act.

If I am facing an oncoming mob and there is no way out, I am prepared to draw my gun and aim it at the nearest and greatest threat. If the sight of the gun doesn’t stop the attackers, I am not shooting into the ground. We do not fire warning shots. I am prepared to make my first two warning shots hit center mass of the nearest lethal threat. If a third is required, it might have to be a head shot.  This is called “failure to stop”. A “warning shot at the ground is totally unsafe. It could ricochet and hit someone innocent. A “warning shot” in the air will land somewhere it shouldn’t.

Even tempered

You mustn’t be impulsive, angry, or rash. These qualities do not go together with carrying a gun. They do not go along with thinking clearly or rationally. Remember that we carry a gun for self defense, not to intimidate or punish. With that said, if backed into a corner with no avenue of escape from a clearly imminent threat of death or grave bodily harm, lethal force is justified. Survival in a dire violent flash mob situation equates with shooting the most threatening and closest person, and then shooting the next until the mob decides to look for an easier target. “Even tempered” means keeping your cool and not shooting to punish. As soon as the threats turn tail, the shooting must stop. Also, if you are confronted by greater numbers and you even the odds (by downing several threats), you cannot keep shooting! We only shoot to stop the immediate threats. 

Avoid and flee if you can. However, if you cannot, and you find yourself backed into a corner, be prepared to attack anyone whom you can identify as the “leader” as fast and as hard as you can. Make him an example! 

Summary

A “violent flash mob” is a riot. Violent flash mobs can kill. If you are caught in a violent flash mob, your life is in imminent danger. If you must employ deadly force to repel deadly force, you cannot afford to hesitate. A wise tactician has recently stated: “Use the (attackers’) overconfidence in numbers and you being an easy target as a ‘surprise’. No ‘warnings’…don’t let them see it coming. Go from being a wide eyed ‘victim’ to being on the attack. By the time they realize what is happening and even start to react…you should already have several on the ground and on your way to a possible escape! If you happen to be in your vehicle when the attack comes…use reverse as much as you can…the rear of just about any vehicle can take a lot of punishment and still keep going. You don’t want holes in your radiator or an airbag in your face.”

This is not taking the law into your own hands or vigilante justice. It is self defense and survival. Survival depends upon emergency first aid. If you are unlucky enough to be caught up in a violent flash mob, “emergency first aid” is doing whatever you must to neutralize the threats to your life and limb until you can escape and the professionals arrive.