Norway suffered a great tragedy on Friday when dozens of people, many of them teens, were gunned down by at least one subject dressed as a police officer. At this time, it appears this attack was coordinated with a bomb that was set off outside the prime minister’s office earlier in the day.
If you have paid attention to world events, you know this is not an original incident. Bombs have been detonated by terrorists around the world for almost as long as we have had explosive technology. Mass shooting incidents are also not new.
There are a few things about this incident, which are important to consider.
An attack may be the main attack, or it may be a distraction. It is impossible to say at this time what the intent of the terrorist(s) was with the bombing. However, that attack likely pulled resources toward it. Officers may have been diverted from other areas to respond to that incident location, which may have reduced the ability to respond to the second attack.
An attack may be bait. Consider that the initial incident may be used as bait to pull in first responders, with a second bomb set to kill public safety workers. Variations of this technique has been used many times throughout history, but the one I remember most vividly was in 1997. I was a reserve deputy in the area where this attack occurred, and I watched it live on television. Eric Rudolph used multiple bombs at an abortion clinic. The initial detonation drew in first responders and the second detonated after their arrival.
The initial bomb and follow up shooting were completely different styles of attack. With the initial incident being a bomb, what degree of focus shifted for law enforcement to looking for the “wrong” thing? How many officers unconsciously stopped looking for suspicious people and instead were looking for suspicious packages? Just because one attack came in a specific method doesn’t mean any additional attacks will resemble it.
For active shooters, fast response is critical. Initial reports indicated the terrorist(s) murder rampage on the island lasted at least 30 minutes. At the time of this article, more than 80 people are believed to have been killed before police were able to respond and stop him/them. Several factors contributed to his unchecked ability to kill:
- The location of the incident was an island, slowing a responding SWAT team.
- People on the island were not armed, ensuring they would be victims, not survivors.
Whether the response comes from a police officer or an armed citizen, the only sure way to stop a murderer is by armed intervention. This means that police officers must be prepared to respond quickly, immediately and alone to engage the shooter and stop the killing. If backup arrives on scene with you, great. But if a cover officer is not with you, you must still go and engage the threat right now!
Yes, responding alone is more dangerous, but that’s what we have to do to stop the killing. If you’re not up for it, I’d suggest you re-evaluate why you are a cop.
These kinds of incidents are a reality. They can happen in your jurisdiction, in your town. So, prepare yourself now.
Links
- Mumbai-Style Attacks: Are We Vulnerable?
- Terrorists Targeting Our Children: More Facts for Police Officers
- Terrorists Next Plan: Killing Our Children at School
- Domestic Terrorism – The Threat Is Real
- News from ILEETA 2011: Preparing for a Mumbai- or Beslan-style attack in the United States of America
- Suspects in Terror Case Wanted to Kill Jews, Officials Say
- NYPD: Queens Men Wanted to Attack Synagogues, Kill Jews in Terror Plot
- 2 men accused of buying guns, grenade, plotting to bomb NYC synagogue and kill Jews
- Bailout Bags
- Bail Out Bags – Podcast
About Richard
Richard is the publisher of BlueSheepdog.com. In addition to writing here, he publishes GunsHolstersAndGear.com and is a regular contributor to places like Human Events, Police & Security News and The Firearm Blog.
This is becoming (Again) a gun control issue vs Gun Rights issue. If you look at Norway’s move to the left in regards to gun control legislation. You can see they created a nation of sheep depending on Government to keep them safe. There was only one person on that island with a firearm and it was the shooter. This is why the body count was so high. PERIOD. Just like in AZ. One gun a room full of victims.
People are not getting it. Police are first responders. They are not able to stop this type of thing unless they happen to be there at the time by accident. The RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS STOPS THIS STUFF IF IT’S OBSERVED.
The “Labor Party” by definition is communist. And as such depend heavily on government involvement for protection and welfare. The Island was a labor party political indoctrination camp. They were observing their ideological tenants and as such were given a powerful point of government can’t protect you.
The Norway government is as culpable in this as the shooter himself. They disarmed their citizens and they paid a heavy price. Of course that point will be lost on our elected officials.
Robert makes excellent points about the disarming of the citizenry. The police cannot be everywhere (there were still murders in the Soviet Union and China). Just like Virginia Tech, this island “safe zone” was a ripe killing field for the terrorist scum who preyed on the sheep. It also gives us a peek at the future targets of terrorists – innocent children.
Richard also makes excellent points in reference to the most currently accepted practices in police response to active shooter. The most critical of these teachings is that the first officer on scene must act, and act quickly. Lives are being lost, barricades are being established, and there simply is no time to stop and establish a command post or develop an elaborate plan of attack.
As a Respons to Active Shooter Instructor I teach students to make as rapid approach as possible to the sounds of shootings, explosions, or screaming, as those sounds are most likely to lead us to the murderers. If your back-up is seconds behind you then by all means make a joint attack, but if they’re minutes away that is an eternity for the killer – MOVE! Once we find the killers by all means use cover, and superior firepower to end the threat – a John Wayne charge may unnecessarily expose us to return fire. However, in some circumstances the rapid movement towards the threat is critical to save lives, close distance, and give us the most accurate shots possible. Either way – ACT! You may not live through the encounter, but if you don’t act you won’t be able to live with yourself afterwards!
First off I wanted to express my condolences and say this is an absolute tragedy. I sincerely hope something learned from this as the loss of life here was catastrophic.
I think you guys (Richard and Robert) are both correct – an armed citizenship is crucial. The island incident makes that painfully obvious.
We often say that these things don’t happen at conservative gatherings. I beg to differ on one point:
Conservative individuals are more likely to follow instructions given by a uniformed officer. We by and large, are pro-police and generally give the respect the uniform deserves. This madman came to a gathering of people dressed as a cop. I can understand the people listening to the “officer.” Can you imagine his statement to the island visitors? Maybe. Attention campers, we’ve had a major terrorist attack in Oslo, I was sent out here to protect you (Or take a head count) please line up over here”… He’s got the only gun, a fully auto something he could mow down a full magazine worth of innocent folks very quickly then it’s just a mop up operation for a sick man.
The people running that camp, the government as a whole are responsible for the death toll being what it is. The guy also bought 6 tons of fertilizer, um after OKC that didn’t set off any alarm bells? Well, try to do it here. Not going to go over real well.
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