Occassionally we hear of a killer shooter. The standard immediate action phrase is “run, hide, fight.” It’s a place to start, maybe, but statistically it doesn’t appear to work. For instance the Columbine school shooting: many children ran and hid, but they hid under there desks. They became easy targets. What we need to identify is where to run safely, where to hide securely, and do we have anything to fight with.
A person with a gun is hard to fight with anything less than another firearm.
Running blindly may save your life or it may get you killed. If you run to a place where everyone else is running to, like the exit you came in from, you may find yourself at a stand still waiting for the next bullet to come your way. Or you may find yourself running into an ambush or even an explosive device because you followed the most likely flow of escape. Worse yet, there may not be a place to escape too (like being on a roof).
What about hiding? Killers aren’t six year olds playing hide and seek. They are aware of places that adults can fit into and hide. Where can an adult hide effectively? It ain’t under a desk. Perhaps a closet or classroom that you can lock. Spaces can be limited and in the heat of the moment it can be difficult to find.
Situational awareness and having a running plan as you enter a building or new area is the real place to start. Know where the exits are, the most likely avenues a killer may approach, where to find cover and concelement, choke points, and what’s available to you for fighting. There may be no guarentee that you’ll live through an ambush, but you should do what you can to mitigate your and your loved ones’ demise. When death comes knocking it’s to late to feel sorry for yourself, to hope someone else may rescue you, and to wish you had been better prepared.
A Journal of Edification and Exhortation 