Fistful, I do indeed give Internet Heroes much credit.
I myself have Walter Mitty aspirations, but am sadly restrained by my own limitations.
Bottom line? It's a Concealed Weapons Permit. It's neither a Caped Crusader Justice Issuance Badge, nor is it a Wallet-Infused Backside Hero Viagra Patch. It's not a commission or general order to procure a Tactical Wheelbarrow, or even a license to dole out vigilante justice.
It's just a Concealed Weapons Permit - all hero aspirations aside.
In the event of a real, Honest-to-Gawd shooting incident, it won't prevent one from hearing one's own heartbeat in their ears, and it may not even prevent one's bowel contents from resettling in their undergarments. It also won't remind you that you're outgunned, and that it's probably better to duck behind the available cover of a building or automobile vs. sitting there and counting Garand rounds, waiting for the Blessed Ping. (Assuming the shooter doesn't do the old WWII trick of throwing an empty en-bloc clip on the ground, etc.)
In the military, we called it Advance to the Rear. That covers the stigma of saying "Retreat". Another way of looking at is is the old adage, "He who fights then runs away, lives to fight another day!" I'll use cover, then decide whether or not I should engage or simply save my bacon. I don't want Chris to inherit my 696 if I can avoid it.
There's a former USAF Security Policeman who neutralized an AK shooter at Fairchild AFB using his issued Beretta M9, from over 70 yards away. Two of his four shots hit the gunman. This was a trained and motivated SP, and his gun-fu was exceptionally strong that day.
This thread sounds so much like similar ones on THR, where everybody's James Bond with a License to Kill. Those threads don't last long over there, and I'd really like to say this one could survive if we inject a little common sense into it.
