John,
I see that you are older than I, by 11 years to be exact, and so I cannot say that I've gotten to the wisdom or the action that you have, hopefully in time.
I think what must are saying is that it all depends. Running in like Steven (can't spell his last name) or Arnold (ditto) is all good and fun in the movies but that is a script, while this is real life.
To go off haphazardly shooting at the BG while your backstop consist of other human beings is not a good thing to do. To endanger your life for nothing may get you an attaboy but in reality people will wonder why you did what you did when it wasn't in your favor and death was assured, etc..
We all have the "hero complex" where we dream/think that we would be the one that would run up and stop the threat with one (or more) shots and than feel good about it, do the interviews, etc.. But in reality, when faced with a problem, even one as bad as this, you have to stop and think about what you are doing and then how you are going to do it.
I'm not a bad shot, not a great one either, but have you ever taken "stress training"? This is where you get your body going to the point of the flight or fight response, heart rate is up, you get the shakes, your face because flushed and feels as if it's heated up to 1000 degress, and then you draw and fire..... you'd be surprised at what you will hit, and generally it's not the BG
.
I know that I'm going to get flamed for this, is okay. But, the ones that are wounded or killed, I will feel great emotion for, but my first priority would be my family, then me, then others. Once my family is safe, and I am behind protection or in an area that is covered, and I have a safe shot, then yes, I would engage the gunman and direct his fire to me instead of others.
Call me a coward, call me a non-man, call me whatever.
Yes, I would love to be like Steven or Arnold or whomever, but I know that I am not, and so, I have to live with that knowledge that I'm only a regular man, not some superhero in a movie or on tv. Sorry.
Wayne