ARMED/UNARMED ACTIVE SHOOTER COURSE
I can’t stress it enough that we can choose to freeze, fight or flee in these events, and the hardest one for some of you is probably going to be the flee option, because it goes against your nature. However, this is probably the best option in many cases.
Going up against an armed team of attackers by yourself with your firearm is not a great way to reach retirement. And if you have a family with you, there should be no question what your primary responsibility is to get them to safety,” “If you choose or are forced to fight, then fight like a cool-headed predator. Be stealthy, use cover and concealment, plan your ambush carefully, and use every advantage you have. Hit them when they’re weak during reloads or malfunctions or when their back is turned to you.”
There are distinctions between the types of active threats we might face — the motivations of an active shooter are different than a criminal, and their skill levels may be dissimilar. Further, we may encounter a single attacker with limited weapons and very little pre-planning or a pair or group of attackers with enhanced weaponry who had conducted some degree of pre-planning. Our tactics up to and including our decision to engage at all may be affected by all those variables (assuming we have access to that information). A mentally ill or criminally motivated gunman will probably behave differently than a determined terrorist faced with armed resistance whether that be from uniformed officers, off-duty officers, or concealed-carry citizens. “Know your enemy,” “The more you know about the people who do these kinds of attacks and the tactics they use, the more you’ll be prepared to take them on. It’s helpful to know that 40 percent of the active shooters in one study took their own life when resistance was encountered, or that intervention by a single citizen stopped eight out of ten active shooter situations. Don’t overestimate, nor underestimate your enemy. Take them as you find them and take them out.”