![Terrorist Attacks](http://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Terrorist-Attacks.jpg?f1c2f6)
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. John Eden writes [via ammoland.com]
With the increase in terrorist activity by ISIS around the globe and the influx of Syrian refugees and ISIS cells into North America, we have to ask ourselves: what will be their targets and how will they attack?
In his book When Terror Returns, John Giduck describes the optimal target site for a high-magnitude hostage siege. It will be a structure that could quickly be secured and defended by a small team. It would allow large vehicles to approach with the terror team and weapons.
It would have little security and contain a sufficiently sized central location to hold hostages. It would possibly be in an elevated position with a large expanse of ground surrounding it. It would contain a victim population of desired composition whose scheduled presence was either predictable or easily ascertainable via rudimentary intelligence gathering.
Giduck describes four types of attacks: Decimation Assault, Mass Hostage Siege, Synergistic and Symphonic Attacks. In a Decimation Assault, the terrorists must be able to get their weapons on target and activate them. Most commonly, this is an explosives attack. It might also be a Lone Wolf or small cadre of attackers with firearms (rapid mass murderers).
This type of attack inflicts maximal damage in a short time. Because of its limited time frame, it results in a short media focus. Last year’s attack in San Bernardino, California, is an example of a Decimation Assault.
![When Terror Returns - The History and Future of Terrorist Mass-Hostage Sieges When Terror Returns - The History and Future of Terrorist Mass-Hostage Sieges](http://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/When-Terror-Returns-The-History-and-Future-of-Terrorist-Mass-Hostage-Sieges.jpg?f1c2f6)
The second attack type is a Mass Hostage Siege. This involves the taking of a number of hostages and holding them for a period of time. This allows for an exponential increase in the terror of the incident and results in large media exposure. The aim is often a high body count, ransom or political negotiations.
The attack on the Bezlan School in Russia on September 1, 2004, is a prime example of the Mass Hostage Siege. The typical hostage siege has six phases: attack on the building, control of hostages, fortification, stabilization to delay counter attack, negotiation, and rescue or assault by government forces.
The third type of attack is the combined Decimation and Mass Hostage Siege also known as a Synergistic attack. The events of September 11, 2001, are an example of a combined attack. The terrorists combined hijacking of an airliner containing multiple hostages combined with a Decimation Attack of flying the hijacked airplanes into occupied buildings.
In a larger metropolitan area, diversionary attacks would be used to delay police and other emergency responders. The most likely targets are schools and hospitals. Also, Mega stores like WalMart, SuperTarget and Super KMarts make good targets.
The final and most complicated is the Symphonic Attack. This involves multiple targets struck simultaneously. The attack in Mumbai, India in November 2008 was one of these complex attacks. Ten terrorists made multiple coordinated attacks against a railway station, multiple hotels, a hospital and a Jewish community center. This type of assault requires increased intelligence-gathering, planning, target selection, training of the assault team, and complex execution.
HOSPITALS AS TARGETS
Denis Fischbacher-Smith and Moira Fischbacher-Smith looked at The Vulnerability of Public Spaces in the United Kingdom and focused on hospitals in particular.
There is an assumed level of trust that a hospital is a generally safe environment. This is combined with a belief that no one would ever consider attacking a hospital. These assumptions are flawed. Hospitals have easy access to buildings and public areas.
A Mumbai-style attack on a hospital could generate mass casualties in a confined space. Further damage using low-level nuclear material might make hospital unusable for many years and cost large sums of money to decontaminate.
Health care centers and workers concentrate on how they will respond to the aftermath of an attack, but they don’t see themselves as targets. They are part of critical infrastructure and core elements in any civil contingency planning for mitigating the effects of any mass-casualty crisis. Disruption in services acts as a force multiplier for the damage caused elsewhere.
Information technology is a valuable source of intelligence. Computers are vital in security monitoring; they control access and contain data on hazmat locations and supplies. If hacked, they contain information on key modes of attack or pathways within the system to cause failure. Customers of the system constitute a potential target group and a means of testing the permeability of the site.
Doctors may be actors in the terrorism and may have accomplices in the hospital. The role of doctors in the attacks on the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London and Glasgow Airport leaves little room for doubt that staff working within a hospital has the potential to be involved in terrorism or other malicious acts.
Extreme care must be taken in the recruitment and selection of staff. Careful background checks must be undertaken to detect those with bogus qualifications. Despite the best pre-employment back ground checks, there is no predicting radicalization after screening and employment.
A short list of terrorist physicians includes:
- Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri—surgeon/psychiatrist and Al-Qaeda mastermind and mastermind
- Dr. Abdel Aziz Al-Rantisi—pediatrician and co-founder of HAMAS
- Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar—surgeon and co-founder of HAMAS
- Dr. Fathi Abd Al-Aziz Shiqaqi—surgeon and co-founder and Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
- Dr. George Habash—pediatrician and founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
- Dr. Wadih Haddad—doctor and leader within the PFLP
- Dr. Bashar Assad—ophthalmologist and President of Syria/state sponsor of terrorism
- Dr. Rafiq Sabir—emergency physician in Boca Raton, Florida, and Al-Qaeda terrorist plotter
- Dr. Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha—neurologist and London bomb plotter
- Dr. Bilal Talal Abdul Samad Abdulla—doctor and plotter for London bombing and Glasgow Airport bombing
- Dr. Nadal Hassan- Fort Hood shooting—Army psychiatrist and Fort Hood, Texas, murderer
THE HISTORY
In 2013, Dr. Boaz Ganor and Dr. Miri Halperin Wernli of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism wrote a white paper titled Terrorist Attacks Against Hospitals: Case Studies. They looked at approximately 100 terrorist attacks against hospitals in 43 countries spread across every continent. Approximately 775 people were killed in these attacks, which took place between 1981 and 2013, and 1,217 others were wounded.
The large number of patients, visitors and medical staff ensure that an attack on a hospital will produce multiple casualties. It would also be expected that an attack on a facility dedicated to health and healing will receive extensive media coverage. An attack on a hospital is demoralizing to a community and increases anxiety due to the familiarity of the setting and the fear that such an attack could involve them or someone else close.
Hospitals also hold materials and knowledge that can be put to use to cause further harm, such as medications, poisons, radioactive materials and biological cultures. Also, confidential health information can be hacked and used for nefarious purposes.
A hospital can either be a primary or secondary target of attack. As a secondary target, such an attack can be used to distract response assets from another, primary attack. As a primary target, we could see suicide attacks, bombings, kidnappings, shootings and even mortar or rocket attacks.
Attack Examples include:
- Musgrave Park Hospital bombing, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1991—An IRA bomb killed 2 soldiers and injured a number of people, including 2 children.
- Kigali, Rwanda Hospital attack, 1994—Tutsi patients, who were at the hospital for treatment, were systematically executed.
- Bujumbura, Burundi Hospital attack, 1996—Hutu rebels killed four Tutsis including a 6-month-old baby.
- Zaire-South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo Hospital attack, 1994—A Tutsi subgroup, the Banyamulenge, killed 50 patients and hospital staff at two missionary hospitals.
- Mozdok, Russia Military Hospital attack, 2003—A truck bomb driven by a Chechen terrorist exploded outside the hospital, resulting in 50 deaths and 80 wounded.
- Tikrit, Iraq Hospital Attack, 2011—A suicide bomber blew himself up at the University Public Hospital of Tikrit resulting in 11 deaths and more than 30 injured.
BUDENNOVSK AND KIZLYAR
The most costly example of a hospital attack occurred in Budennovsk, Russia, from June 14 to 19, 1995. Led by Shamil Basayev , one hundred fifty Chechen terrorists took 2,000 hostages and killed 129 civilians, 18 police and 18 soldiers. More than 400 others were.
The attack occurred six months after Russia invaded Chechnya. The operation was intended to attack deep into Russian territory: A convoy, consisting of 3 large military trucks and a car painted like a police car, set out for the Russian state of Stavropol. Terrorists dressed as police told the checkpoints that they were escorting Russian soldiers’ bodies home.
They made it through many checkpoints but were unable to pass a bribe at Praskayeva. The “police officers” were arrested and brought to the police station in Budennovsk. This triggered an attack on the police station and the local government offices. After a few hours, they regrouped at the city hospital.
![1995 Budennovsk Hostage Crisis](http://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/1995-Budennovsk-Hostage-Crisis.jpg?f1c2f6)
In the initial assault on the city, more than 100 people were killed. While moving from the police station, up to 600 hostages were herded toward the hospital. Another 1,100 were taken at the hospital. Of these 650 were patients and 450 were hospital workers. Many hostages were women and children.
The rebels mined the first floor. Hostages were reportedly divided: men to the basement and elderly women and children placed in the first-floor corridors. Russian Special Forces soldiers surrounded the hospital. Two doctors were sent out with their demands: 1. Stop the war in Chechnya. 2. Pull out Federal troops. 3. Start direct negotiations with Chechen separatist leadership.
On day 4, an attempted rescue operation was launched. Russian troops successfully captured part of the first floor, freeing some hostages and killing some Chechens. However, the Chechens were able to regain control by using hostages as human shields. After several hours of fighting, 30 hostages were killed by crossfire and grenade fragments. Negotiators offered a flight out of Russia; it was refused. Later that day, a second assault using tear gas was launched and failed.
On day 5, Prime Minister Chernomyrdin and Basayev came to an agreement: Russia was forced to capitulate to the terrorist’s demands and allow the terrorists and hostages to have free passage to Chechnya.
On day 6, hostages and rebels left, with a hostage shackled to each rebel. They took a convoluted route and changed directions several times. At the village of Zandak near the Chechen border, the hostages were released and the terrorists vanished into the forest.
As a result, the Russian government and people were shaken. The Russian leadership was humbled and seen as inept. President Boris Yeltsin was condemned. The security and interior ministers resigned. A law was passed banning accepting terrorist demands during a hostage situation. Also, an X-ray machine and Cesium-137 were stolen and later used to threaten a dirty bomb attack.
Six months after Budennovsk, on Jan. 9, 1996, a group of 300 to 400 terrorists, led by Salman Raduyev, attacked the Kizlyar Air Force Base in Dagestan. There they were able to destroy several helicopters and seize the weapons depot. From there, they moved to the Kizlyar city hospital. There were only 100 hostages initially, so the terrorists gathered 3,600 hostages from the surrounding area over the next 3 hours.
Once inside, the terrorists barricaded themselves inside the first floor and wired the second floor with explosives. The terrorists were on the first floor and the hostages were kept on the third, fourth and fifth floors. Three uniformed police officers were executed and a counter-attack with an armored personnel carrier was repulsed on the first day.
The terrorists learned important lessons from their attack on Budennovsk and applied them to Kizlyar. They were forced into a siege due to a poorly coordinated counter attack on the bus convoy near the village of Pervomaiskoye. The ensuing battle destroyed the town and the terrorists were able to elude the Russian forces and escape to Chechnya. The treaty to end the First Chechen War was signed three months later.
We see that attacks on hospitals have had a significant effect on the countries that are targeted, from a psychological standpoint but also a political one. The bigger the attack and the larger number of hostages, the larger the effect on the populace and the more media coverage is gained by the terrorists.
SECURITY GAPS
Most attacks targeting hospitals have been suicide bombings, with the second-most common scenario being armed assault. Hospitals are soft targets with multiple entrances, visitors are seldom identified and their baggage is seldom screened or searched. Many hospitals do not have a significant armed security presence and the large size of the buildings and long, straight hallways give the advantage to would-be hostage-takers.
Further complicating matters, there has also been an upsurge in female suicide bombers. Hospitals have a large number of female employees who could be exploited by radical Islamists, and as stated earlier, physicians are not immune from radicalization.
CHEM/BIO CONCERNS
Hospitals contain radioactive and biological materials that can be weaponized, and the security of those materials is often inadequate. Sadly, hospital administrations need to look at their hospitals through the eyes of potential terrorists when planning security. They need to examine the external threats but also be aware that the biggest threats could be from the inside. Unfortunately, most hospitals do not see potential terrorism as a significant problem worthy of expending valuable resources.
![Hospitals contain radioactive and biological materials that can be weaponized, and the security of those materials is often inadequate. Target USA Nuclear Fall Out](http://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Target-USA-Nuclear-Fall-Out-450x270.jpg?f1c2f6)
Hospitals have a legal responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for staff, patients and their families. Do hospitals have a liability risk in the age of terrorism? Is an attack a foreseeable event? Does your hospital have a plan? In the event of a local terrorist attack, does your hospital have a plan to secure the Emergency Department from suicide bombers? Is there a plan for ambulances and vehicles to be searched before they are allowed to approach the hospital itself?
Would a plan to have trained and armed hospital staff already in place be an advantage? Could it possibly deter or disrupt the plans of hostage-takers and allow staff and patients to escape?
Imagine the devastation in your community if there was a Boston Marathon-type bombing followed by a suicide bomb attack on the emergency room as casualties begin to arrive. Just like Boston, it can never happen in your city . . . until it does.
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—Dr. John Edeen is a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon in San Antonio, TX and is active in seeking the right to carry for qualified hospital staff.
Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a project of the Second Amendment Foundation. www.drgo.us
I thought it’s my local SWAT team in the first pic
Are Our Hospitals Targets for Terrorist Attacks?
Yes, and soft targets at that. But then again, what isn’t?
Exactly. The answer to the question “is _____ a terrorist target?” is yes, and the softer and less defend it is, the more attractive it is.
Yes, a soft target, one where everyone or nearly everyone except a couple armed, bored, and old security guards are the only effective defense are the number one targets for terror. That, and disarmed countries like you see in Europe.
By that criteria, that would mean places that serve alcohol are in extreme danger of being attacked. Schools are in extreme danger. Hospitals and elderly/retirement homes (hey, if two kids are willing to cut off an 86 year old priest’s head, they won’t stop at the alter)
Here’s something to ask: what type of security is in place at high school sporting events? I know college and pro sports have plenty of security, but I don’t know what local school sports teams have. If you have a child who plays sports and they don’t forbid carrying concealed at the games, carry.
Those are the top targets I can name off the top of my head. It’s really just anywhere that police will not be and are gun free zones.
The first thing that comes on mind on reading this article is just how valid the fundamental assumptions behind the second amendment are. The only real first-defender protections we have are from an armed citizenry. An obvious caveat is the question of how much resistance a few armed doctors and hospital staff could do much against an attack by a battalion-sized force of terrorists? The answer, of course, is probably not much. But against a smaller force, say one guy or three or six, the equation changes to one from no chance to a fighting chance.
Something we should all think about is just how vulnerable America’s border areas actually are. Our borders are made so vulnerable by the willful neglect of our national government. As a result, large groups of illegals led by coyotes and/or large groups of armed drug smugglers routinely cross from Mexico to the US with impunity and then promptly disappear into our cities. If they can do it how hard will it be for groups of armed terrorists to do it? If we can’t stop the coyotes and the drug smugglers, how would we stop them?
Dr. Eden is entirely right to worry about the vulnerability of his hospital to a terrorist attack. In the movie version, stalwart well-armed Texas start showing on their own up to take on the bad guys in a stand-up fight. Maybe they fight them at the border or maybe they encounter the terrorists in the hospital. That would certainly make for a good story. But the hard reality is very different: when the bad guys come of us, our founders intended for us to have the right to defend ourselves. In their minds, having directly experienced revolution and personal danger, they knew that a fighting chance is always better than no chance. All subsequent arguments in favor of the right to keep and bear arms start from that single fundamental premise.
Good grief. Any place with lots of helpless people, strictly and carefully forbidden to have any rational way to defend themselves… these are all very obvious targets. Hospitals are just one of thousands, nothing special that way, of course.
It is impossible for any sort of institution or crowd generating venue to actually protect the people who come there. They have to be able and willing to do so themselves… or stay home.
A US terror attack would be very tempting in the lead-up to the election.
It would also be a major boon for Trump.
If the Tangos were smart, they would lay low until after the election…
It’s almost beginning to appear as though the “Tangos” can see that their ally in the White House is rapidly fading away and so are working to get in a few licks while our entirely impotent (or complicit) president still occupies the White House.
If that’s the case, as sad as it is, it’s good for us…
In Washington and now in Nevada, and I suspect in a great many other states, one of the absolutely verboten places to concealed carry, much less Open Carry, is ALWAYS in a hospital.
So the answer to the question is – YES, eventually they will target a hospital, and every other place where stupid lawmakers have designated gun free zones. They may be crazy, but they are NOT stupid. The terrorists, that is. The politicians might be both crazy AND stupid.
But the VA hospital I go to says weapons are strictly forbidden for my protection.
Cliff, both concealed and open carry are perfectly legal here in NV in a hospital. VA Hospitals are another matter as they are Federal property.
And considering that the majority of VA hospital cops I’ve seen are either on their way to the glue-factory, can’t be bothered to get off their segways, or leave their cars/office……
Washington State? No state law that prohibits hospital carry, unless it is the secure portion of a psychiatric ward.
As private property owners, though, all the hospitals I’m aware of will trespass you off the property if you are seen to carry, and it is a cause for immediate termination if you are an employee found to be armed.
Any one of us loyal local US citizens can easily visualize several soft targets in our own neighborhoods just sitting ducks for horrendous attacks and enormous body counts–but we all wisely keep that information to ourselves and NEVER print it or spread it around!!!! DMD
If you can see it, they can see it. It is more important to bring it to the attention of people who can (maybe) do something to change the situation than to expect you can prevent people from taking advantage of the situation.
The US has thousands of people doing threat analysis. The bad guys are always planning threats…and why Intel on the bad guys is so important. You really think they will read this and go “why didn’t we think of this?”
300-400 paramilitary attacking hospitals is the key statement along with the logistics cited in this article is why it will mostly likely never be attempted in the US. 2-3 Cells of 3-6 each in multiple locations would stretch local law enforcement to the breaking point would be more effective than trying to secure a hospital.
Unfortunately, attackers always have the advantage of surprise, time, place, and method of their choosing. Those are ginormous, I repeat, GINORMOUS advantages for the attackers.
Realistically, I don’t see that we can do much about it reactively. I favor a more proactive approach: go on the offensive against radical Islamic terrorists. And, for the love of Pete, start a massive ideological education campaign. Unfortunately, that second prong of my proactive approach will never happen thanks to political correctness … we could never dare to search for the truth and point out any errors in Islam.
+ 21.6 Billion. you cut right to the heart of it brotha.
I only get plus 21.6 billion? I figured my comment was good for at least eleventy-nine billion! (Of course, technically speaking, 21.6 has to be larger than eleventy nine.)
I gave your comment a + eleventy-nine squared to the tenth power.
I think your + count just went plaid.
Ughh… We have changed in ways that turn the stomach, for all the bull that the present administration shovels about killing the 2IC of Al-Qaeda, like 90 times by now, or hitting the top guys of ISIS or any other number of carefully manicured propaganda, WE are the ones who have changed. Now we think in terms of soft targets, instead of the security theater, we could have had reasonable discussions about how to address this new phase of American life, but instead we have the left spewing about “safety” and the right can get nowhere in that environment.
I don’t mean to be a bummer, but reading this article is informative and much appreciated, it just makes me feel low. That we gave in to fear, we, meaning the .gov, makes me shake my head. Heaven forbid a Clinton 2.0 presidency, I can smell how much more we would change, and it’s stinky.
Nope, because all you have in the USA are a bunch of unorganized lone wolfs. The example given was an attack by trained organized group.
While an attack on any soft target is possible, a hospital does not have the same symbolism as political targets or democratic symbols.
I will not be surprised if one does happen, but the probability is very low. I see a mall especially around the holiday as a more probably target with the symbolism of attacking capitalism as being the more perfect target. Rockefeller Center during the tree lighting ceremony, again, another great terror symbol.
However, IMHO, any future attacks will be similar to Orlando not a hospital.
What struck me in the narrative above was at least on 2 occasions the terrorists went into the neighborhoods around the hospitals and rounded up more hostages.
Unarmed citizens cowering in their homes when large groups of ak wielding terrorists show up are nothing but victims. Which apparently is how barry and hillary wants we Americans.
I would point out that a terror operation isn’t likely to steal radiological or biological items to weaponize as part of an attack. Such theft would be nearly impossible. Stealth theft of such things to use later may pose a concern.
In actually attacking a hospital a smart terrorist group attacks a hospital and uses patients for human shields while carefully selecting healthcare workers like skilled surgeons and nurses for quiet executions before going full blown Allahu Akbar in a loud and dramatic way. Destruction of medical equipment would also be possible.
With proper target selection in a major metro area, just a few teams are able to severely limit the life-saving medical response society can bring to bear on those who are wounded. When the terrorists decide to “go loud” and start offing patients and basically useless healthcare providers (records keepers etc) there are few people left who can actually provide the wounded with care and the system is easily overwhelmed. As casualties mount and doctors have to be flown in from other areas, the media goes apeshit and the terrorists get a 2nd win.
In this way the terror continues after the attackers are all dead. Live video of severely wounded people who cannot be treated will scare the hell out of a lot of people.
If the terrorists decided to add some spice a second “wave” could be used as well. Trauma centers would be overrun and security poor. Lots more healthcare workers, loads of patients and poor security are perfect for a suicide bomber.
Taking out 3 hospitals in a town like Fresno would cripple health care for over a million people….3 small teams with fertilizer would be easy to accomplish this feat with both short and long term impacts.
15 rental trucks blown up around office buildings in 15 medium size cities would seize up the US, especially with leaderdhip that wont even talk about radical Islam .
There’s always more than one way to skin a cat.
The methods chosen would generally reflect the message they want to send, the tools readily available to them and the level of precision they desire in killing essential personnel.
Either way, targeting the healthcare personnel is guerrilla warfare 101.
But gun grabbers keep telling us that there is no way gun owners can defeat the U.S. military….
But my local hospital has no weapon signs! Won’t that keep the terrorists away? And I have a fire extinguisher in my classroom to throw at a gunman.
But hospitals are gun free zones.
Lots of people = terrorist target
Here is one case where an armed doctor came in handy:
http://www.people.com/article/armed-doctor-gun-philadelphia-hospital-shooting
Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said that “without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives.”
“Without that firearm, this guy [the patient] could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition,” the chief said.
Here is a guy at a foreign hospital in the dialysis area – look at the amount of damage done by 1 guy without a gun.
https://youtu.be/cLp29PBwzFk
Yeah hospitals are the softest of the soft. Funny but I saw my brother who lives near Orlando, FL yesterday in Kankakee, IL. My nephew got married at the local civic auditorium (which had gun shows when I was a lad). NOW it has a No Beretta (or Taurus sign). But no one checklng for gats. I asked my bro how EZ it would be for Omar the Pulse shooter to shoot Disney world-my replied “impossible-they have metal detectors!” LOL. In our “open” society there are thousands of soft targets…
Was at Disney on Friday and I think it would actually be a tougher target. I had my go-to-work bag less the knives, mulit-tool, and the gun and they went through it very, very carefully. Gave me the crazy eye when she was going through the trauma kit pouch. The metal detector was the secondary screen. With the layered entry at the Magic Kingdom an attack in the park itself would be tough since you have to go through gates a a mile away and then take transportation to the actual park. Too much trouble for the average Jihadi.
Disney = Too much trouble for the average Jihadi.
You only have to look at the attacks in Europe recently to see that “Large Crowds Waiting” = Target Rich Environment. Especially to a suicide killer. The Disney gates in the morning is 20-50 THOUSAND people standing around waiting to pay the mouse to let them in. NONE of which have gone through ANY kind of security before buying a ticket. Same for ANY large airport screening line or tourist attraction. The attack doesn’t have to be inside the park to be effective.
After 911 there was a quote attributed to OBL that essentially said “I don’t have to kill all of the infidels, I will let their own governments reduce their freedoms and liberties to nothing.” Essentially destroying Christian western civilization. And the libs in the country are hell-bent on helping him accomplish that goal.
Anywhere lots of people congregate, especially in well known areas or places considered “safe” by most people. Of course, things like some random Wal-Mart might not be as attractive, but a hospital, a casino, or a University could be on the list of possibilities. Or if enough of them get together, some might even try to storm a big police station in a “even your protectors aren’t safe” statement. But that’s all theoretical. Nowhere is “safe”. Only “safer”.
It’s ironic, we just had Active Shooter training at my Walmart today. Except nobody is really worried because at my store, the numbers of open & conceal carry customers we have on a daily basis would make such an endeavor very short and bloody (for the attackers).
FWIW, our store managers are all totally for employees being able to carry on the job, and a sizable number of us do keep sidearms in their vehicles.
Oh heck. Look what one deranged Japanese guy with a stupid knife did to scores of disabled patients at a care center.
I suppose the premise for attacking hospitals would be the number of patients who would have trouble fleeing gunmen. Didn’t that Japanese knife wielding killer attack some kind of managed care facility?
Beslan 2004
The initial photo is from an Israeli raid on a West Bank hospital in 2015.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/fury-after-israeli-troops-disguised-6818723
Honestly, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a Beslan or Westgate Mall 2.0 here yet. The way things have been going, I figure it’s only a matter of time.
I was in my local hospital the other day (their cafeteria is actually really good, and the job site I was working on was right next door), and I saw something that would have been hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. A guy with a shirt on that said, “security” and a radio on his belt. But that’s not all! He was well over six feet, but he looked like he weighed maybe 12 stone. His clothes just HUNG off of him like a coat hangar. A strong wind would have knocked him over, and a light punch would probably have knocked him out. Literally, the ONLY possible way he could deal with an issue would be to say, “Sir/ma’am, please stop, or I’ll have to call the police”. What the fuck is the point of having someone on payroll whose only ability is the ability to take a phone and call 911? Literally every single conscious person in a hospital is capable of doing that. Security? What a joke….
While overall I agree with the article, I object to the labeling the Chechnyan action a terrorist attack. A terror attack is aimed at a purely political objective through maximum death tolls and fear. In this particular case, the Chechnyans were improvising after their plan had been disrupted. They had a military objective – the removal of Russian troops from Chechnyan soil. Simply because a country hasn’t the manpower to stand up to another in conventional warfare does not make their combatants terrorists.
Yeah like the Tsarnaev brothers. Walks like a duck, talks like a duck. looks like a duck…it is a duck!
Just like the guys flying the planes on 9/11, so just a military exercise I guess.
In neither case was there any attempt at making demands or achieving any type of military objective, unlike the Chechnyan group/unit. Both 9/11 and the Boston Bombing were about maximum death tolls on civilians uninvolved in a war effort. The hospital was not, otherwise they would have simply killed everyone there. They had the time and control to do so.
I work security in a rural hospital, it’s a joke In the event of any occurrence involving any weapon of any type, icepick to AK, i have been instructed to RUN. Goodbye doctors, goodby nurses, goodbye patients, you’re all dead cos, I’m going home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a coward, i just work for cowards. It all boils down to $, it’s cheaper to pay victims families, than to pay for liability insurance, training, and tools for armed guards. BTW, Army Infantry and 14 years as a licensed Armed Security Officer.
Why can’t we all just get to the inevitable solution and just get to cleaning up the world from this disease.
Get rid of assault religion…no matter where it comes from.
John Giduck is a notorious stolen valor phony. Everything about his military history is a outright terrible lie. Ammoland should be ashamed they did ZERO due diligence and are promoting such a phony. TTAG you should immediately remove this bogus article which is entirely based upon the ravings of a absolute phony scumbag.
If you want to know the real story regarding John Gudick and his scumbag achievements in lying go here and read all about the real John Giduck: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=30958
If you want to be taken seriously you cannot be posting garbage articles like this which center around notorious fakes.
The list of things that AREN’T a potential target is MUCH easier to compile.
EVERYTHING’S a target, including MOSQUES. Remember, you don’t just have to be a Muslim, you have to be EXACTLY the right KIND of Muslim. To Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, BIN LADEN was an “apostate”.
To a death cult, the only thing that matters is DEATH.
Everything I’m about to say is a lie
I am a doctor in a midsize suburban hospital
My hospital is a gun Free Zone
My entire department is a bunch of gun nuts
A lot of the surgeons are gun enthusiasts as well
I have personally introduced two of our nurses, a tech, and an orderly to gun ownership.
( they purchased two shields, a Rossi revolver and the Bersa 380 )
I don’t know if any of my other coworkers carry in this gun free zone we work in but I do, in deep concealment.
I have to carry off body, but my Bersa thunder cc is always within 3 inches of me
That’s only seven rounds
of 380 with one reload
Still, I do not plan to follow our active shooter protocol which is hide until they find you and then die.
I plan to upgrade to a Sig 938, that will give me 7 rounds of 9 mm
Not much, but better to sell my life fighting.
Maybe others will escape if I engage the terrorists
The next target will be a car ferry.
I was going to give you a serious response. But then I saw you quote John Giduck 👎.
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