Active Killer Events - What to do in a Mass Shooting

What do we do? How do we react in the event of an active shooter or mass shooting? Unfortunately, these are questions we find ourselves asking after tragedy strikes. It is incumbent upon responsible individuals to be prepared to the best of our ability for horrific situations such as these. This planning needs to happen beforehand!

Get out! Hide out! Take out!

As simple as these phrases are, they still require some planning and thinking ahead of time. The idea behind this concept is to keep things as simple as possible. However, as simple these phrases may be, some people get hung up on the importance of sequential order. Be mindful...get out, hide out, take out, may happen out of order or not at all. As with a lot of things, the situations are very fluid and dynamic and no solution should be seen as a one size fits all. 

In teaching on this topic, I usually found we had very little time to convey very important to our civilian audiences. Coincidentally, they were generally not very interested in the subject matter unless there was an incident fresh on their minds. If there was an incident fresh in their memory, there was more interest and folks were generally more situationally aware than they were in their normal state of mind. However, once these memories faded away we found ourselves back to the usual. A lot of time was spent explaining and impressing the importance of situational awareness as a precursor to the other ideas we were trying to convey.

What is situational awareness? Situational awareness is basically your ability to pay attention to your environment. You are not just physically present, but cognitively present in a way that helps you analyze and decipher the events unfolding around you. Events can be macro, or a "big picture" events with lots of things going on, such as watching a sporting event or collectively eating a meal with other restaurant-goers at a crowded venue. While micro events, or small/trivial/slight events, can include:

• Who is around you and who they are with
• Clothing 
• Language, accent, tone, inflection
• Body language or eye movement
• Conversation topics
• The "feeling" of a collective crowd (calm or on edge?)
• What is considered "normal" clothing/behavior for where you are 

You decipher events on a daily basis already, even though you may not be aware of it. You may have a "gut feeling" about a man you see while at the park with your children. He may stick out to you as odd because he's there with no dog or children, watching kids play. This gives you cause to be concerned, so you watch your children more closely, make eye contact with him so he knows that you see him, or you just leave altogether.

Being intentional about practicing situational awareness means increasing your ability to pay attention to what is around you; it's growing your God-given "gut feeling" and instincts, then, gaining the knowledge to know what to do next and the skills to carry out that plan of action. If something doesn't feel right you don't have to wait until something bad kicks off to get out.

Let me refocus and get back to the phrase "get out, hide out, take out". We need to elaborate some on each of these to get a good grasp of their full meaning.

Get out!

If or when the situation calls for it, you need to run like your life depends on it, because it may. Keep in mind, there are outside factors that may change or modify this strategy? Small children, elderly family members, etc., all may be reasons your escape may be modified. Of course, you are not going to leave family and loved ones behind. It is your responsibility to get them to safety. However, the gist of “Get Out” is just that. Get out of the situation and remove you and your family from the danger. Do it as quickly and safely as you can!

You have to take a moment to observe what is going on in order to have a grasp on the situation and to prevent running towards the threat. Don’t fall into the herd mentality of following the crowd. Panic and hysteria usually drive this behavior and the crowds chosen path may not be the best choice for escape. Trampling can occur and a shooter is often times more likely to shoot into an area where most people are gathered. 

Dress accordingly! Proper footwear can be one of your most vital assets if you are trying to escape an active shooter. Have an escape route and plan in mind before you need to use them and have a rally point established with family members in case you get separated. In crowded areas, it may be best to stay to the perimeter of the crowd to facilitate an escape and to avoid getting caught in the mass of people.

If you attempt to get out and you are trying to escape an event, you need to know where to go. This goes back to situational awareness and your observation skills. Know where to go and how to get there before the incident unfolds. Make a mental note of escape routes, exits, paths of least resistance, where your car is parked, etc. Leave your belongings and escape in an erratic pattern if feasible. Also, you have to be mindful of the potential for multiple threats and the fact they may be targeting exits, etc., as people are escaping. You may be forced to fight as you are making your escape...be prepared to do so!

Hide out!

Do not hide if you have the possibility of escaping. This is paramount! Numerous innocent people have died because of this. There may not always be a way to escape, but if there is...take It! If you do have to hide, be sure you know the difference in cover versus concealment. Concealment is exactly what it sounds like...it conceals you from the bad guy. Concealment does not offer protection from gunfire. Cover, on the other hand, offers the aforementioned concealment as well as protection from gunfire. It is extremely important you know the difference. 

If all you have is a place to hide, then so be it. But, if there are options for both cover and concealment, you need to know the difference and you need to utilize them accordingly. Both can provide you precious extra time, which is vital, but cover offers you much more in terms of protection. Be sure to silence your phone and keeps all noise to a minimum. Just because a group of people are hiding together doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, it could be just the opposite.

Take out!

This is the point where you have to be the most violent person you know. Taking out the threat should be your last resort and final option for most people. Prepare ahead of time and train to take control of your own safety and the safety of your family. Have an open mind in terms of using improvised weapons. Keep in mind, once you commit to your plan of action, you need to follow through with it. Work with others if possible and try to use the element of surprise. Take charge and give direction to those who are failing to act. 

Don’t overcomplicate how you react. Be in charge of your own survival and don’t count on someone else to save you.  Be an active participant in your own rescue! This includes calling 911 when appropriate. Don't assume someone else has already done it. Be sure you clearly communicate as much relevant information as possible, including your physical description. This can be of particular relevance if you are armed.

You need to be prepared mentally and physically. I have discussed both of these as well as gear and training in the article, What is a Well-rounded EDC?. Remember, we need to have the mindset to do what we need to do, the physical capability to carry it out, the skills to efficiently do it, and the equipment to support the task. One of the biggest things you can do is to fight the urge to do nothing! The better prepared you are the higher your likelihood fo survival. 

One last point of consideration is the fact you could be mistaken as a bad guy when the police show up. Keep this in mind and react properly with law enforcement. When appropriate, holster your weapon and discard any improvised weapons or anything else that may be taken as a weapon. Remove the perception or reality you could be a threat to first responders. Keep your hands clearly visible and avoid making any furtive movements which could elicit a response from responders. They are going to be amped up when responding and you need to do as much as possible to assist them with everything they are having to mentally process.

Remember, we are no good to anyone if we are incapacitated. Make a fully functional EDC part of your everyday life. This includes self-defense and medical considerations in the form of gear and qualified training.  

About Cody Martin 

With 12-years in federal law enforcement, Cody has extensive experience in physical security, executive protection, site security, travel risk planning, surveillance, internal and external investigations. He founded Risk Strategy Group to help guide organizations in minimizing physical and travel risk.

Originally shared on Option Gray.