I'd want to get us out of there. Period. I had to ask hubby what "SKS" means so clearly (1) don't have a CCW to consider, and (2) don't have what it takes to count rounds. (Count, yes, but is he out or waiting? I have no clue.)


I'd probably freeze, get low behing the kiosk, stuff a hand over DS's mouth to keep him quiet, then get ready to run at the sound of reload or protect DS in the event of a face to face encounter.

Do you run in a straight line or do it in a random zig-zaggy way like in the movies?

DS is is front of me facing the exit, with me between him and the shooter. He knows enough not to stop and look back. Just keep going and don't give the bad guy a chance to catch you.

First Thanks Blast for keeping this open. My intent wasn't to play the internet commando game. As a LEO I've had this as a table top exercise presented just before starting active shooter training. That time it started with "Your off duty and..." then the senario.

Night Hiker is dead nuts on with his assessment of the problem, namely how do you get your family out of this mess alive.

What is the first rule of a gunfight? Be somewhere else when it happens!

I listed the exact same senario we were given, assuming that as preparedness people your situational awareness was turned on.

I agree, confusion and panic would be a major problem. There was a fairly recent event here where a mentally disturbed woman was stabbing people in a Target store. Fortunately, an off duty LEO was in the store and subdued her. But in the panic people called 911 reporting a man with a gun.

In the OP's scenario, I would just run for the nearest exit/escape route. Might not be the safest thing to do but I'm trying to be rational about how I would react instinctively, and that would be getting as far away from the danger zone as possible.

I think NightHiker nailed it pretty well... I'm a competition shooter with better than average skills, but my carry pistol is a KelTec, and a 50m pistol shot with a .380 is not going to happen on the first shot.

Having run some penetration tests of ChiCom chest ammo rigs for a SOCOM project, they act as a pretty fair bullet proof vest against handgun rounds

hopefully I would have the foresight to work thru the OODA loop (observe,orient,decide,act)to check for alternative cover and escape route

know the difference between cover and concealment...bullets don't go through cover...if concealment is your option, use it and get down

if you have to run standing, wait for a reload with the rifle, or transition to the handgun... most inexperienced right handed pistol shooters will pull shots to the left, so try to move to the shooter's right...

distance is your friend, even with a rifle shot...I would not give up distance for the sake lateral movement, but that is a personal call...lateral motion if a pistol is being used would be more of a priority

if you exit the building... do so with your hands raised, and keep moving...

if you can't get to your vehicle, seek cover behind the engine block of the most distant vehicle you can, then call 911

The cops might react badly to this. If they see you acting like a CCW operator (head on a swivel, not screaming like an idiot) with one of your hands out but covered, don't be surprised if you get proned out at gunpoint.

Other than getting my family the hell out of Dodge via the quickest way that isn't under threat, making the best use of cover I could, I'd just be sure that I'd been practicing my draw stroke.

With any luck, I will have cleared the immediate area before they arrive. I probably wouldn't be doing the head on swivel due to the relatively short distance to the exit & known location of the shooter. I'd be backing toward the exit, keeping most of my attention his direction.

Somebody give NightHiker a gold star for that one. Seriously.

IMO the "out through the nearest store" is likely your best option since it most likely represents the shortest distance to both cover and concealment AND a path to the outside.

Someone mentioned the fog of the moment and not knowing exactly what's going on. Not knowing who is shooting, let alone what weapon they are shooting with. If I'm in a shopping mall and hear gunfire I'm not sticking around to find out who's shooting. It may be the police doing the shooting but I'm going to assume the worst and leave immediately. The penalty for guessing incorrectly about who is shooting is just too high.

It may be good to study the chaos of prior mass shooting cases. For example, here's a mall shooting with an SKS rifle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I98yPokF3ps

Someone made a good point above about the loudness of the shots. If you're not used to gun shots, then you will be likely to freeze up. If you seriously want to prepare for this type of situation, there's no way around it: you must go to a range and, at a minimum, get accustomed to the sound of gun fire. (Even the sound of gunshots through ear protection is unnerving at first.) Otherwise, you're fooling yourself if you think you can respond as planned.

I really like the "Nighthiker Solution", but keep in mind that not all mall designs and building codes require a store to have a back door. Unless you can actually see the exit or know from past experience that is there, you might be headed for a dead end.