
Originally Posted by
Krypt
The truth of the matter is that the victims would actually be able to defend themselves in that scenario.
Maybe in some situations, but highly doubtful in this one.
They were all completely taken by surprise. I don't care how much training any of them might have hypothetically had, even if all three were armed I very much doubt the outcome would have been any different. None of them would have been able to pull out a weapon fast enough to have stopped this maniac. Even the woman facing him wouldn't have been able to react in time. She might have been able to get some shots off 5-10 seconds after the first couple shots were fired, but IMO the majority of the damage would have already been done. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten away had she been able to fire on him, but maybe he would have turned on her again and there would have been 3 murders, not 2. Again, the chances for most people to remain calm enough to pull a gun and get some accurate shots off in that situation are minimal at best. Nerves and adrenaline are a bitch, especially for some 50-60 year old woman that would never expect something like that to unfold.
Like I said above, everyone is different, and until you've been in a situation where your life is threatened and your adrenaline spikes in a millisecond you have no idea how you would react. Doubtful any of those three, or most people for that matter, would have had the ability to react in a manner that would have changed the outcome.