The school shooting at Columbine High School shocked the nation; since then, shootings in both schools and workplaces have become more common and more deadly, as evidence by the events at Virginia Tech University. In such a world, where students and employees are sometimes scared to go to work for fear of such violence, it is important to know how to protect yourself should such a terrible thing come to pass. Every action you take could be the difference between saving your life or ending it.
First, stay alert. Always report suspicious incidents, like a student or coworker threatening to bring a weapon to school, to the appropriate authorities. Now is not the time to quibble with the ethics of such pre-emptive "tattling." By reporting such a remark before the person actually has the opportunity to act on such urges, you could be saving your own life as well as the lives of others, and that is not something to be taken lightly.
Second, familiarize yourself with procedures already in place. All schools have procedures for earthquakes or hurricanes or floods or drug searches, and almost all schools now have lockdown procedures should a student show up with a firearm or weapon. Usually, this procedure is much like the procedure for a hurricane: students and teachers hide in one corner of the classroom, away from windows and doors, and wait it out until they get the signal that it's safe to stand up and move around. If you are in the halls at the time this lockdown goes into place, you are expected to duck into the nearest classroom and join the students there. Whatever the procedure is, make sure you know it. If you do not, ask someone who does. If there is no procedure, take the initiative and start creating one as soon as possible.
You will need to respond to the sound of gunshots according to your given situation. If you are in the same room or general area as the shooter, seek cover immediately. If the shooter opens fire, it's not the time to be a hero. Duck behind heavy furniture or something that will protect you from the bullets. If nothing is close, simply drop down to the floor and lie flat. Though counter-intuitive, this will protect your vital organs and make you a less likely target to the shooter. Lying flat could also lead the shooter to believe that he has already hit and injured or killed you. Remain quiet and still, but do not tense up on the off-chance that the shooter will mistake you for being dead, in which case your body will be limp and relaxed. But if the shooter is about to shoot you, do anything you can to stop them.
If you are in such a situation, try talking to the shooter if you know them, but use caution. Anyone who has picked up a gun and opened fire is not in his or her right mind, and something you say might set them off. You could possibly change their mind, but if they have a gun then they may not be convinced by anything you do.
Attacking an armed assailant is not prudent unless you have absolutely no other possible recourse. They will have most likely already decided to shoot people, and threatening them will likely result in your death as well as the death of others. Let the SWAT team and the police officers handle that, and don't try to be a hero.
Do whatever you need to stay alive, even if in the end that means attacking the shooter. To disarm an armed assailant, take his/her focus off his/her weapon. You might throw chairs, books, set off the sprinkler system or fire alarm. Then use a desk or something as a shield and charge at the shooter. There's a chance you'll be killed but if two or three people charge at once, there's also a chance that someone will take the shooter down. Unarmed civilians who band together have a much better chance of surviving an attack.
If you're already within a step or two of the shooter, you might be able to grab the weapon. If the shooter is facing you, quickly take hold of the barrel and aim it away from yourself. Be as quick, clean, and efficient as possible. The gunman will reflexively pull the gun away from you. Follow the momentum and push your weight forward. You might try kicking the gunman in the face, if you can reach that high, or simply in the groin. Anything to get the weapon away from him or her. Hit him in the nose, jab your fingers in his eyes, strike with the heel of the hand for the most power. Also, try to twist your hands on the gun like revving a motorcycle engine. This will cause the weapon to twist with your hands and just might break the gunman's trigger finger.
If you see the shooter, run away. At twenty feet away, you are still within a deadly range but at forty feet, you're a difficult target. If he starts shooting as you run, zigzag. This will make you even harder to hit, and it's the same tactic gazelles use when they're being chased by the large cats of Africa. Seek an exit or hide in a room with windows so that you have an escape route should you need it. Lock and barricade the door and turn off the lights. If there is a phone in the room, call the police or emergency service at 911, 999, or 112. If you don't have time, call and leave the phone off the hook. The police are obligated to immediately dispatch cars in that situation and come see if there's a problem. Doing this from several phones will send up red flags right and left, and the authorities will come as soon as possible.
If you hear gunshots and are in a room, lock and barricade the door. Turn off the lights and hide quietly out of sight of doors and windows. If there are others in the room, tell them to do the same. Do NOT leave the room if you have no idea where the shooter is; do NOT try to be a hero in this situation. Stay there and stay quiet until help arrives or you receive a signal that everything is okay.
If you hear gunshots and are in the hallway of a school or office, find the nearest exit and run like heck to get out. If not, find a room that you can hide in. Follow the same procedure by turning off the lights, barricading the door, and hiding quietly until help arrives.
If you hear gunshots while you're in the bathroom, stay there. That is your best chance at getting out alive. The shooter probably won't waste his or her time checking bathroom stalls. Lock the door to the bathroom if you can, if it's not one of those swinging doors, and if there is soap put it on the floor by the door to make it slippery. It might seem like the stuff of cartoons, but if the shooter comes in and slips on soapy water or slippery tiles, you could make your escape. Another thing you can do is get in a stall, lock it, and crouch on the toilet so that your feet are not visible. If you have a phone, dial 911 or 999 or 112. Stay as quiet as you possibly can to avoid detection.
If you hear gunshots and are safely outside, the procedure is simple and common sense: run like heck in the opposite direction from where you heard the shots. Call the police immediately and let them know what you heard or saw. Assist other people that are fleeing AFTER you call for help.
Also, before you open the door if you are inside the building to someone that says, "police," or "paramedics," be aware that it could be the shooter trying to get you to open the door. Ask them questions to make sure they really are the police or someone trying to help you. And be as helpful and cooperative as possible to the police. Tell them everything you know and spare no details. The smallest thing you remember about the shooter could help them identify the perpetrator.
While doing all this, remember to stay calm. This will be near impossible, but you will have a better chance of saving yourself if you're not running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off. Do not hesitate or second guess: just act. Every second counts, and every second could mean the difference between life and death for you or someone else. Try to help those around you, especially those that have been shot. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding if they are wounded, and try to get out of sight as you wait for help.
Call the authorities BEFORE calling friends and family. Your friends and family are not equipped and trained to deal with shooters. The SWAT team, FBI, and local police are. Afterward, seek therapy if the event was deeply traumatic for you, as it might very well have been.
By keeping these things in mind and acting accordingly and decisively, we will all be better able to save ourselves and others should such a crisis occur.
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