I mostly stay away from discussing tactics here, but with the sad events of last week I have decided a very basic tactics discussion is in order.
In the Charlie Kirk incident, which I imagine has been discussed ad nauseum on the internet, all I will say is that my years protecting heads of state and cabinet level people taught me that having “bodyguards” does not do very much, if anything, against a premeditated attack like the one Kirk was victim of. All of the shooting/fighting/situational awareness/mindset in the world could not have saved Kirk, nor any of the rest of us. It would not have been feasible, and probably not allowed, to do what it would take to fully protect Kirk in that situation. You play with the cards you are dealt, and sometimes those cards aren’t enough.
In the case of the stabbing of Irnya Zarutska in NC, there are things that you can do to minimize your chances of becoming a victim of those circumstances. Those things all matter most before the attack. Once the attack was launched, in the position she was in, nothing was going to save her.
First, always avoid public transportation if possible. That is obviously impossible for many people, and I took buses and trains all over NYC for the better part of 30 years. If you do take public transportation, always sit with your back to a wall. Successful ambushes are launched from the rear or from the flanks. If you deny the enemy access to your back or sides, you have done what you can to minimize the chances of an attack being successful. That seating position alone will discourage some attacks.
Times seem to have changed everywhere, even in NYC. When I grew up, you would never show anything valuable in public. Now, everyone walks around with their head buried in the cell phones and no one seems to care. I cannot recommend that under any circumstance. Once you are locked in a box, it is even worse. If you are sitting with your back to a wall, don’t ruin your advantage by ignoring your surroundings. The phone can wait, keep your head up and actually look at what is going on around you. This too will often prevent some attacks.
Finally, if you don’t have hand to hand skills, go get some! If you are not going to do that, but you have seated yourself correctly and are paying attention to your surroundings, you are in as good a position as you can be. If someone tries to attack you in that position, with their hands or with a contact weapon, get your legs up in between them and you. Use them like a bicycle if need be, but keep them between you and the attack. You may take some hits, you may get cut, but those injuries to your legs will not be as life threatening and may buy you enough time that someone comes to help you.
Since we can never count on other people to save us, carry your gun and at least learn some basic fighting skills. If someone attacks you with a knife, use your gun. If they attack you empty handed, you probably should not draw your gun at that point, but there are so many variables that I cannot give proper advice from here, so go learn the law and then get some professional scenario practice. Waiting till it happens to you for real is a terrible idea and an easy way to end up in jail or the hospital or morgue.
