Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Run, Hide, Fight (TM) - The Mainstay Procedure to Deal With An Active Shooter Situation

I learned that active shootings usually come to an end around 15 minutes or a bit more, and thanks to what happened recently in Texas, we need to know what to do next time another tragic event like an active shooter happens, so let's look at the Run, Hide, Fight (TM) plan devised by the City of Houston, which now is likely the standard operating procedure for a new type of threat that had been happening in this country for at least 20 years.

Run - basically you need to get as far away from the shooter as much as you can, because the closer you are shot by the shooter, the higher chance there will be a severe gunshot wound injury - or a killing wound. Then there is cover and concealment - cover is best because it totally blocks bullets, but use concealment if you cannot find anything for cover. If concealment is the only option, be prepared to fight back if you have to do it to save your life - especially if the shooter is at close range and within arm's reach!

Hide - basically, this means not only conceal yourself, but BE ABSOLUTELY QUIET! Even the slightest noise can give your shooter your location and you might end up shot or DEAD afterwards. That means turn off anything that can make noise, and that includes your cell phone - set it to silent. If it vibrates - the shooter might hear it and you will regret it probably to as much as your grave. Basically, "hide" means lock down yourself as much as you can - lock doors and windows, close curtains and blinds, turn off lights, and even though your locked stuff can be used as cover or concealment, there is a chance that the shooter might open up the window or door, so use a backup space as your extra conceal or cover - like an utility closet, and if it has locks, use it. Basically if you cannot be seen or occupied, the shooter will move on and not kill or shoot you.

Fight - basically, because there is an immediate threat because guns can kill us instantly, we have a legal right to fight back (think self-defense) against the shooter with anything that you can use to survive an attack if you cannot run or hide. Improvised objects or dual-use items are good--especially if it is rigid or hard, like 2 X 4 wood or chairs. Even inflated balloons can be used as improvised objects if the shooter is within close range - you pop it to distract the shooter and then you finish the shooter off with hand-to-hand combat. Fire extinguishers can be used to spray the attacker or hit the attacker down. And once you are in the fight, do not stop until you are sure the shooter is down, because if the shooter is able to get up after you fight and leave, it might be seconds before the shooter can fire the weapon again to hurt or kill again. Best of course is to wrestle the gun away from the attacker after hurting that attacker, being careful not to let the gun go off and kill innocent bystanders, and kick it far away so that the shooter does not have access to the weapon. Once the shooter is down, run away, but KEEP YOUR HANDS UP, because at that point, the police will likely storm in, fully armed in most cases.

1 comment:

  1. Another way to distract the shooter or get the shooter off balance is with a pail of water or a banana peel. Even if the gun discharges when the shooter slips, the off-balance effect will mean the shooter won't hit exactly the intended target or targets - the shooter will likely fall down, which can allow you time to escape.

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