Active Shooter
Training for Citizens
By Dennis
Kennedy
The recent shootings at Trolley
Square, Virginia Tech and the Omaha Mall remind us that violence can
strike at any time and in any place. These types of events are not unusual. They occur
everywhere. They happen in churches, malls, schools and workplaces. They will happen
again. Have a plan.
Whether you carry a gun or not,
these are some precautions that everyone can take to be better prepared if it
happens to you.
Family Emergency
Plan -
BEFORE any emergency occurs, develop a Family Emergency Plan. This plan may be
used for any emergency. Keep it simple, such as developing a rendezvous point in
the event you are separated. Have an alternative plan. No matter where you are, a simple
plan is better than no plan.
Situational
Awareness -
Be AWARE of your surroundings and situation. NOT paranoid, just aware. Keeping the cell
phone jammed in your ear 24/7 is not being AWARE. Even if you see something that does
not seem right, leave and call police.
Find an EXIT - When out in
public, look for and know how to get to the nearest TWO exits. Don’t concern yourself
that they may be marked EMERGENCY, EMPLOYEE ONLY or ALARMED. You are going to
use them anyway in an emergency.
Breakage - If you are
trapped in an active shooter situation and there are no door exits but windows are available, BREAK
THEM! Use whatever is available up to and including your firearm to break
glass doors or windows to escape the threat!
Move - If you hear
gunfire or see the shooter, immediately go to the nearest exit and AWAY from the shooter. The
farther away you get, the safer you will be.
Lock It - If you are
trapped in a location that has no exit, lock yourself and others inside. Use belts, electrical cords, rope
or whatever is quickly available to secure the door. Barricade the door with
furniture, desks or store displays. Be quiet and stay away from the doors. Do NOT open the doors
for others once you are secured. Shooters have been known to pound on the doors
pretending to be victims, begging for entry.
Stay put until the police break in to rescue you.
Fight Back! If you are
trapped, cannot escape and the shooter makes entry into your location, FIGHT BACK! Immediately
ATTACK with chairs, tables, fire extinguishers, books or whatever you have on
hand. Everyone in the room must ATTACK, tackle him, bite, claw, stab or choke. If you
do not fight back, savagely and with overwhelming force he will methodically kill
everyone.
Armed Citizens - If you are
armed with a firearm at the scene of an active shooter, your FIRST responsibility is to get
your family to safety. Help others along the way if you can but immediately MOVE your own
family out of the area first.
Call 911 - ASAP, get on
the phone and give 911 the shooters description, location and type of weapon, if known. Give
the dispatcher YOUR location and description. Make certain to tell the dispatcher
that YOU ARE ARMED. The dispatcher may try and get you to put your weapon away.
REFUSE and tell dispatch you will remain armed as long as the threat is active.
Take Cover - Place yourself
between the shooter and others that may be with you. Have someone else talk on the phone.
Your focus needs to be on the shooter.
Police
Confrontations-If
you are confronted by the police, keep your weapon muzzle pointed down. Raise your
non-shooting hand up near your face in the SURRENDER position. Yell loudly at the
officer “I am NOT the shooter”! Do EXACTLY and IMMEDIATELY whatever the officer
orders you to do. Expect to be taken down at gunpoint and treated like the bad
guy. Be thankful they didn’t shoot you. Don’t take it personal. What actions you took
can be sorted out afterwards. If an officer asks you to help, comply and do as you’re
told.
Additional thoughts:
1. Carry a good small flashlight
whether you carry your gun or not.
2. Carry enough ammo.
3. Carry a working cell phone
4. Know trauma care. That is to
say, know how to treat gun shot wounds and other injuries with whatever is on the
scene. The police are trained to go straight to the shooter. They will NOT stop to
help until after the shooter is stopped. You will be left to help yourself and others.
5. Be a good witness. Be prepared
to give a coherent statement to the police about the incident.
6. Keep your mouth
shut if you were forced to use deadly force. Only give a generic statement such as “he
tried to kill me/us and I was forced to defend myself/us”. Stick to the 5th Amendment
until you have a lawyer by your side. Remember, there will most certainly be a
civil lawsuit coming. Keep your mouth shut. Protect your own civil rights. If you
need to discuss it with someone, tell your lawyer or your clergy. Those are protected
communications.
7. When you write
your statement look up Utah law [substitute your own location] regarding use of force and include the exact same words
that match what action you were forced to take. “I reasonably believed the force
was necessary because...”
6. You have the RIGHT
to keep and bear arms. You have a RESPONSIBILITY to train and become
proficient with your firearm.
USE
OF FORCE [research the law in your location]
76-2-402 Utah Code Annotated
Force in defense of person
Reasonably believes force is necessary to prevent death or serious
bodily injury:
1. Actions must be reasonable.
2. Force must be necessary.
3. Must show a significant threat of death or serious bodily
injury.
A person is not justified:
(a) If he initially provokes the use of force.
(b) Is attempting or committing a crime.
(c) Was the aggressor.
These events happen.
They happen in churches, malls, schools and work places. They will happen again. If
you are going to carry a firearm, be responsible and BE PREPARED.
About
the author-Dennis Kennedy is Director of Training for the Counterterrorism Institute
of America, LLC. Dennis is a 25 year veteran law enforcement Instructor and military
special operations weapons NCO. He is a Utah POST certified Firearms Instructor
as well as NRA Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor and Utah BCI Concealed
Firearms Permit Instructor. He can be contacted via his company web site at:
www.combat-terror.com
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