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Preparing for an Active Shooter Situation

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We have reached a point as a country where it is hard to deny that there is a problem with gun violence. I don’t point a finger at any one cause, i.e. mental illness, the age to purchase a gun, lack of firearm restrictions, terrorism, hate crimes, etc. What I do say is that there is a legitimate concern that many people rightfully have about active shooter situations in the United States. Obviously, compared to other crime, active shooters are still low in numbers, but the likelihood of being directly impacted by such a situation is increasing with time.

There are many potential measures that can be taken to try to minimize the chances of future gun violence. From additional rules and regulations, to moving to a state with stricter gun laws, people are trying to make their personal agenda move forward with the use of these situations. What I can say to that is what most of us know already, that doesn’t really work. One of the premier example cities, and rightfully so, for countering the argument of strict gun control and additional regulation of firearms is always Chicago; the Windy City has experienced a spike in gun related violence over the years, and saw more than 4,000 shooting victims in 2016 alone. This is despite there are requirements for firearm purchase permits, an assault weapons ban, and mandatory waiting periods for gun purchases.

I don’t think that an isolated example like Chicago can be enough to support the argument. There are many that say gun rights advocates or right-wing individuals all wrongly point to Chicago because there are other places that have tough gun laws as well so I will also point to California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York who are all rated as having stricter gun laws by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

What I believe to be common among both sides of the aisle, and all walks of life, though, is no one wants to become a victim of an active shooter. The best step to be taken is to prepare to respond in a beneficial manner if you find yourself in an active shooter situation.

Active shooter response kit

The best option that anyone could have on hand to react to an active shooter situation is what is commonly called an active shooter response kit. This kit primarily consists of a variety of medical supplies that can be used to treat wounds and injuries but could also include small items like chem lights, a window punch, etc.

Putting together an active shooter response kit can be simple and fairly affordable. In fact, there are many commercially available options if you search for active shooter medical kits or individual first aid kits. Most of these kits include a minimum of:

  • Tourniquet
  • Pressure Dressing or Gauze
  • Gloves
  • Tape

Larger individual medical kits also add items like a chest seal, combat gauze or some time of hemostatic dressing, nasal airways, and documentation cards that can be used to keep track of the medical care that is provided to an individual.

If your decision is to make your own kit, then you may want to find a pouch or container and put your kit together in that, or you could decide to purchase a commercial option and expand it to meet your requirements, like adding items like the previously-mentioned chem light and window punch.

Armor options

Some suggest that a backpack with textbooks in it could potentially be enough to stop a bullet. There are even videos that demonstrate this fact. In the absence of other options, I would do this all day long. There are other options though.

Several companies have started manufacturing armor options that are geared toward use in the educational or professional setting. Such options include armor panels that are designed to go into a backpack. The backpack can then be placed on the front of an individual to protect them from gunfire. In addition to armor panels that can be placed in bags, there are armor options like look like a messenger bag or computer case and unfold to be soft armor that can be worn like regular body armor.

There are always the classic body armor options as well if you feel the need to wear them. This can be when entering what you have judged to be a higher risk area or simply a choice to find something that you can wear all of the time. Some of these armor options are highly concealable and can be comfortably worn all day while other options are simple plate carriers that are a harness that holds an armor plate in the front and back. Plate carriers can be quite compact and could be placed in a desk drawer, kept in a locker, or maintained in a larger back that holds your active shooter response kit and other items.

Keep in mind that armor will always give you a better chance but is not a 100 percent solution. You will still have vulnerable areas and, depending on the rating of the armor, the option you select may only protect you from certain calibers of firearms.

Weapon options

The decision to carry a weapon is a personal one that individuals must make for themselves. I am an advocate for responsible concealed carry and I firmly believe that a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun. My confidence comes from the fact that there are many documented cases where this has happened. Of course being a responsible concealed carry holder means that not only the minimum requirements are met to carry a firearm but that an adequate amount of training is behind the individual who is carrying the gun and they will only help in the situation and not create an additional element of danger.

That said, there are many practical weapons that can be carried to defend yourself and others in an active shooter situation. Some of my favorites include:

  • Small firearms (pocket pistols).
  •  
  • Easily concealed firearms like those designed for carrying with a thin profile, single stack magazine, and shorter barrel length.
  •  
  • Folding Knives.
  •  
  • A multi-tool will be far more accepted in most environments thatn the aforementioned options but still provides a blade that can be used as a weapon if necessary.
  •  
  • Options like Tasers and pepper spray could also be viable if that is all you are comfortable carrying. Just keep in mind that the effectiveness of these defensive weapons vary from person to person and are only temporary.

It can’t be denied that a very common location for active shooters is a place where weapons, specifically firearms, are forbidden; AKA “gun free” zones. This is problematic for law-abiding citizens who wish to be able to defend themselves but choose to follow the established rules and laws and are not armed when in these locations. In such a case, an emphasis should be placed on identifying items that can be used as an improvised weapon like tools, cutting instruments, heavy objects, etc. An old army favorite for an improvised weapon is a long sock with a padlock in the toe or a collection of coins (really anything compact and heavy) that can be swung at a person and to create pain and injury on contact.

Mental preparedness

A key element to all types of preparedness is personal mentality. An active shooter situation is very mentally taxing and requires plenty of situational awareness.

Mental preparedness begins with completing any training that is available through your place of employment, school, or local government. If this training is not available, search sites like ready.gov for active shooter information as well as popular video hosting sites for training that can be viewed.

Secondary to training is planning. This can be a formal written plan that is rehearsed at home, work, school, etc., or an informal plan that is developed in changing environments you will experience. Key elements to planning should be a minimum of two forms of escape from your location (exits and the path that will be taken to reach them) and locations where you could hide if you can’t escape. As grim as it is, individuals have also survived active shooter situations by feigning death.

Lastly, should the requirement to react to an actual active shooter arise, remember to RUN, HIDE and FIGHT. Those are the three primary steps to responding to an actual active shooter. The first option is to run to escape the situation if it is possible. If you are not able to run and escape, then hide out of site and remain silent. As a last resort (or sooner depending on one’s own feelings and judgment), fight the shooter. According to ready.gov (which contains sound advice on the subject):

  • Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
  •  
  • Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc.
  •  
  • Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.
  •  
  • Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.

Clearly, arriving at the decision to fight an armed attacker takes an immense amount of fortitude and mental toughness, but I hope that if a person feels convicted he will join forces with others to mitigate the toll of an active shooter. The hope is always that this type of situation will never happen to any one of us but the reality no longer reflects that hope. Take the steps to be prepared for an active shooter situation instead of finding yourself in complete fear if suddenly you are in that position.

— Thomas Miller

The post Preparing for an active shooter situation appeared first on Personal Liberty®.

 

 


Source: http://freedombunker.com/2018/03/18/preparing-for-an-active-shooter-situation/


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