UP Public Safety - Respond to an Active Shooter

Wow, it has been a busy summer.  For those of you waiting anxiously for my next post, wait no more.

Today’s discussion is on a subject that has been in the news lately: the Active Shooter.   What do you do when you encounter someone with a gun who is trying to kill you, your family, your friends, or the good people around you?

RUN!

Yup, that’s it.  Run like the wind.  Here’s the deal.  If the bad guy has a gun, and you don’t, your first and best option is to grab your kids, wife, whoever is around you, and run for your lives.  You could be the biggest / strongest / bravest dude on the block, but bravery rarely stops a bullet from killing you – in fact bravery often invites it. Also, the police will be showing up pretty soon with guns of their own and training to respond.  Let the pros do their job and get out of their way while they do.  Side note – if running and you see police coming toward you, make sure that you have your hands visible WITH NOTHING IN THEM!  Police are trained to look at the hands to see if someone is a threat.  If they are responding to a shooting and they see you running with your Smartphone in your hand, they might just see a gun and take a shot.  That makes for a bad day for everyone, so keep your hands empty.

HIDE!

If you don’t have an easy escape, hiding is the next best option.  When you hide, you find a place such as a side room or a closet, then close, lock, and barricade the door, turn out the lights, and sit very quietly. Call 911 (if you can do so quietly) and let them know where you are.  Then wait for the cavalry to arrive to get you out.  Don’t hide under an open desk or table and hope the bad guy doesn’t see you.  All you are doing is making yourself a stationary (therefore easy) target.

FIGHT!

Last option.  Use this one only if you are likely to die anyway.  If the shooter is so close to you that you can’t run or hide, you fight the son-of-a-gun with everything you have, because your life depends on it.  Kick him where it hurts.  Stick your thumb in his eyeball.  Hit him in the nose with your book and spit in his eye while you’re at it.  Fight for the gun, if possible.  You may or may not survive the fight, but this is your best chance to do so.  Also, every second you delay the shooter is another second you are providing someone else the opportunity to escape.  Doesn’t help you much necessarily, but nobility can be a rough business sometimes.

Reviews of active shooter incidents usually show the shooter is looking for easy targets.  Don’t be that easy target.  Run, Hide, or Fight!

Watch the embeded video if you haven't done so already.  It is a very good primer on how to respond in these situations.

Department of Homeland Security has a very nice detailed booklet that discusses this issue here: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdf

They also have a simple pocket card here: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_pocket_card.pdf

Good luck out there. Stay safe.