Tactical debrief: Strasbourg Christmas Market
Beau Doboszenski, Owner/Lead Instructor
Originally published December 13th, 2018
Strasbourg, in eastern France on the border of Germany, is the Christmas capital of the world. The people of Strasbourg have had massive celebrations and markets for Christmas for hundreds of years. Many are open year-round, and tourists from all over Europe come to the city to walk the decorated streets, sit at the cafes, and purchase items for Christmas celebrations at home.
But like so many of these markets in Europe of the last several years, Strasbourg’s markets have become the targets of terrorism. And in a way, it makes sense. The holiday is an affront to the terrorist’s belief system. The area is heavily populated with soft targets. An attack on the symbol of Christmas will certainly gain a lot of attention and create a lot of fear.
Two nights ago, a terrorist decided to take action and opened fire on a Christmas Market in Strasbourg. As of this writing, we don’t know what the firearm was, nor the current location of the terrorist. According to the taxi driver the terrorist carjacked in making his escape, the terrorist was still armed, but wounded. All of France is conducting a massive manhunt. (HT: Daily Mail)
In the United States, we have the right to carry firearms for our defense. But in responding to terrorist attacks, there are a number of considerations - positives and negatives - to consider before you decide how to fight back.
Direct or Indirect
If you are in the direct line of attack of the threat, there is no choice. Respond. Defend yourself and your loved ones without hesitation or mercy. And be prepared to go directly into your Post-Fight Actions immediately after the threat has been stopped:
Reset - Assess - 360 Check
MOVE to a Safe Location or position of Tactical Superiority
As soon as is safe to do so, Holster and Conceal your firearm
Remember that law enforcement will be inbound, and they won’t immediately know what’s going on. They only know that shots have been fired, so they’ll be looking for anyone with a gun. And most likely, they won’t be giving any warning when they find someone with an exposed firearm, as we saw in the unfortunate shooting at the mall in Alabama.
If you are in the indirect line of attack of the threat, you now have choices.
It may be reasonable to follow the Plan of Action:
Create Distance
Introduce a Barricade
Escape - Find Help - Get a Better Defensive Tool
Deter then Defend
You are not obligated to get the terrorist to stop. If you have family with you, especially children, you are primarily obligated to see them to safety first.
Keep in mind that terrorists often work in teams, rather than as individuals, such as in the Charlie Hebdo or Bataclan Massacres. You may not be in the direct path of one terrorist, but in creating distance, you may become in the line of attack of another and will need to defend yourself there.
Another option would be to choose to engage the terrorist. If you choose to do so, consider whether you’ve prepared several advanced skillsets. This kind of action isn’t for the recreational firearms carrier - this is advanced Citizen Defender work and should be taken seriously.
A few of the skills that would be critical to respond defensively to a terrorist attack would be:
Shooting on the move
Utilizing cover and concealment
Adapting shot speed rhythm to address variations of threat distance or target standard of accuracy
Post-Fight Actions so you’re not seen as another potential terrorist when law enforcement approach
Keep in mind that many terrorists have been fighters for groups like ISIS or Al Qaeda. They are military trained and often have extensive real world combat experience in places like Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan. You are not engaging some suicidal active shooter; these are soldiers, on a twisted mission, who are willing to commit atrocities to achieve their goals. Read Terror at Beslan if you want a deeper and more chilling look into these capabilities and mindset.
This is why it is critical that Citizen Defenders take their training seriously. You should be trying to engage in weekly or even daily practice. When situations like this arise, you will not miraculously “rise to the occasion” but will default to the capabilities of the defensive neural pathways you’ve developed.
Our thoughts, prayers, and support are with the people of France and Strasbourg.