With so many illegal guns in the hands of unpredictable teenagers, shootings can happen anywhere anytime. Experts say that if you ever have the misfortune to be close to an active shooter incident, you have to think survival.
In the book "How to Survive an Active Shooter: What You do Before, During and After an Attack Could Save Your Life", author Jacquelyn Lynn notes that active shooter situations can happen anywhere—the workplace, schools, churches, theatres, entertainment venues, transportation centres, sporting events and other places.
She notes that actions that a potential victim takes during these kinds of events are critical to one's survival and require a proactive stance at all times. These actions are:
Avoid or run
Avoid the attacker. "Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life. If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to escape.
Have an escape route and plan in mind," says Lynn. You want to get as far away from the gunman as possible.
Run as fast as you can in a zig-zag pattern. Shooting a moving target is hard even for experienced gunmen, and many of them have little experience with firearms.
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Effective avoidance requires knowledge of your surroundings. Move away from the threat as fast as possible. Stay as low as possible to offer less body exposure.
Keep in mind that other attackers may be posted elsewhere – constantly re-evaluate the situation and act accordingly.
Don't try to gather your belongings. You can replace your phone; you can't replace your life. If you are able to, help others and prevent them from entering the danger area.
However, this should not derail you from taking action to save yourself from the identified danger.
Deny or hide
Lock yourself in and barricade the entrance with whatever heavy objects or items available to you. "Your hiding place should be out of the shooter's view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction," Lynn advises.
Turn off the lights and limit any sounds. Put phones on silent, turn off back screen lighting and preserve battery. Try as much as possible to keep away from doors and windows.
Always take shelter behind solid objects. Remember the difference between concealment (out of sight only) and cover (out of sight and protected from projectiles).
If you absolutely have to fight an armed man
When absolutely necessary, defend yourself against the attacker. Most people don't think they can take on a gunman because he has a gun and they likely do not, but it is possible for unarmed individuals to subdue an armed gunman.
In the book "100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation", former US Navy SEAL Clint Emerson notes that just because you don't have a gun, doesn't mean you don't have a weapon.
Almost anything in your environment can be turned into a weapon.
Act aggressively against the perpetrator. Throw objects/ improvise when necessary and yell/ distract the perpetrator. Improvised weapons can include: heavy objects, if possible with sharp edges; heavy objects in a handbag that you can swing.
Most violent gunmen work under the assumption that because they have a gun, people will do what they want or just hide.
They don't expect someone to come charging after them. So simply charging your gunman puts you at an advantage because he's definitely not expecting it.
Fight with the intention to incapacitate. Do not fight fair, attack the weak spots such as eyes, groin and throat. Fight to the best of your ability and do not quit until the attacker has surrendered. If with other people – act as a team.
