How to Survive a Shooting Incident

Run whenever possible. To maximize your chances of survival, you must flee the area of the shooting as quickly as possible. Only consider other options if you risk being exposed when using the escape route.

Know the locations of all escape routes. Prepare ahead of time by identifying all the escape routes from your workspace, including emergency exits, fire escape routes, and windows. It’s best to know at least two exits from your school or workplace in case a shooter blocks one of them.

• Don’t rule out the possibility of having to break a window on the first or second floor. Cuts from broken glass or broken legs from a fall are unlikely to be life-threatening.
• 98% of shooters act alone. If you can avoid the area where gunshots are coming from, you will generally be safe.

React immediately. Don’t freeze or waste time considering your options. Look for an escape route and start running. If the gunshots are far away, you may have a chance to escape before the shooter arrives.

• If your shoes are hindering your escape, take them off.

Leave your belongings behind. If you determine that running is your best option, leave behind your wallet, purse, or phone. It’s natural to want to grab your things, but your life is more important than your possessions.

Run straight to an exit. Don’t slow down to perform evasive actions, like running in zigzags or crouching while running. Run as fast as possible to safety. These tactics only work if the shooter is targeting you and using a low-rate-of-fire weapon. Running quickly is usually the best option.

• An exception is when you have to run within the shooter’s sight, and there are many obstacles between you and the exit. In this case, your survival chances are higher if you run from one obstacle to another. Refer to the section on hiding to learn how to find cover that can stop bullets.

Take others with you. While running, encourage others to escape with you. If someone is disoriented or too frightened, grab their hand and pull them along. Let them know that running is the only chance of survival. If you run with a large group, the shooter will have a harder time targeting just you, and you’ll have the advantage of numbers if you are heading towards him.

Grab a weapon only if there are no obstacles. If you happen to spot a sharp or blunt object that can be taken with you while running, pick it up. Don’t waste time searching for a self-defense weapon while fleeing. This should only be done as a last resort when escaping from the shooter is no longer possible.

If you must fight, get as close to your opponent as possible. Find the most effective way to approach without being noticed. Hold the gun with one hand and use your other hand to cover the ejection port (try to redirect the muzzle to a safe direction). The shooter will pull the trigger, but the gun will only fire once, as your hand is covering the ejection port, preventing the gun from cycling. Now, the gun is useless until the shooter manually reloads it, giving you the perfect opportunity to disarm them and subdue the shooter.

Opt for this action if fleeing is not an option. It only takes a few seconds to decide whether running is feasible. If the shooter enters the room quickly or blocks the only exit, find a hiding place or take cover behind nearby furniture immediately.

• Hiding is the second-best option as it could trap you in a corner. However, most mass shootings end within 10 to 15 minutes. If you can avoid detection during that time, your chances of survival are much higher.

Assign tasks to others in the room. If there are others in the room, get their attention and delegate tasks as follows (each task is described below):

• One person should call the police (113 or the local emergency number).
• Some should lock and barricade the door.
• Others should look for anything that could be used as a weapon.

Turn off all the lights. Immediately switch off all the lights in the room. This will lead the shooter to believe that there is no one inside, increasing your chances of survival if they do not enter.

Lock and barricade the door. Lock the door immediately and do whatever you can to make it difficult for the shooter to break in. Typically, the police will arrive within a few minutes, so the shooter will be less likely to enter a place that's hard to get into. Lock the door and place heavy furniture like chairs or tables in front of it to block the way.

• If the shooter approaches, move away from the door as quickly as possible. Stay away from all doors and windows.
• If the door opens outward, barricading it will only delay the shooter for a short time. Blocking the door may waste valuable time and block a potential escape route.
• If you are in the bathroom and the door can't be locked, use a belt or shirt to tie around the metal hinge at the top of the door (this helps the door close and reopen automatically).

Call emergency services. A mass shooting typically lasts five minutes before someone calls the police. If there is someone with you to block the door, make the call immediately. After receiving the call, the police will arrive within three minutes.

• If possible, use a landline rather than a mobile phone so that the police can trace the call.
• If you cannot contact emergency services, try to activate the fire suppression system on the ceiling by lighting a match under the smoke detector. The system will automatically call the fire department.

Use any weapon you can find. Look around the room you're hiding in for anything that could serve as a weapon. It could be a stapler or sharp scissors on the teacher's desk, a hot coffee pot in the office kitchen, a large mug or strong acid (like sulfuric acid) in the lab, or anything sharp, heavy, made of glass, or usable as a weapon. Grab any weapon if the shooter enters the room.

• Everyone in the group should throw an object if necessary to disrupt the shooter. Clearly, this is a last-resort solution, but people should look for something to throw if no weapons are available.

Find cover. Cover refers to objects that can stop bullets. Common examples include brick or concrete walls, steel beams of the building structure, or thick trees. If you are trapped in a small room, the best option is to use thick furniture like a table or a heavy filing cabinet.

• The ideal choice is to find a position that does not obstruct your movement. As the situation changes, you can flee to the quickest escape route available.

Find shelter if there is no cover. Shelter allows you to hide from the shooter's sight, but it does not stop bullets. If this is your only option, take refuge behind furniture, in a locker, or any place where you can hide. Crawl on the floor to minimize the risk of being hit by a bullet.

• Most partitions in the house cannot stop bullets.

Turn off anything that makes noise. If you have time, silence your phone and electronic devices so that the sounds don’t draw the shooter closer to your location.

Try to stay calm. This may seem impossible, but it is absolutely necessary. Inform everyone that groaning or crying will only make it easier for the shooter to find them. Be mentally prepared for the possibility that the shooter might enter the room and discover your hiding spot. If this happens, your only option may be to fight, as described below.

Playing dead is a last resort. Many people have survived by pretending to be dead in active shooter situations. However, some shooters are aware of this tactic and may target those they believe are already dead. This option should only be considered when you can’t escape or hide.

Remember, attacking the shooter is a last resort. You should not rush out of your hiding place to attack if the shooter is approaching. Only fight back if you are certain that you will be shot if you do nothing.

Don't try reasoning or begging for your life in front of the shooter. Focus on fighting the shooter. Asking them what they want or pleading for your life by talking about your family is pointless when dealing with someone like this. Don’t waste time talking to them, focus on fighting back.

Coordinate with others to create distractions. If you're with a group and can't avoid the shooter, the best chance of survival is to create as much noise and movement as possible. Yell, throw objects, and run to buy you a few extra seconds to escape the room or to attack the shooter if there is no way out.

Fight the shooter with whatever weapon you can find. Use scissors, a mug, or anything sharp or heavy to fight back when you are within close range. A pen is better than nothing. You are fighting for your life, so every second counts.

• As a reminder, this is only a last-resort solution. Most shooters are heavily armed, even wearing bulletproof vests. Even if you have a gun, you are still at a disadvantage.

Aim for the upper body. Try to strike the face, eyes, shoulders, neck, or arms of the shooter to make them drop their weapon. Aim for the neck, gouge their eyes, or strike the arms—do anything you can to make them drop the weapon or cause harm to disarm them.

• Kick the groin (if they are male). If that's not possible, aim for their face or the weapon they're holding. This is an effective way to disarm them or seriously injure them.

Attack with full force. Once you're in this situation, hesitation or panic could cost you your life. Strike as fiercely as possible with anything you have in hand. Don't try to run or stop fighting, even if you're shot in the leg or arm.

Do not run toward the police. The first responders are there to locate and negotiate with the shooter, not to rescue victims. Stay in your hiding spot and avoid obstructing their path.

• If you are injured, wait for medical personnel or firefighters.

Raise both hands. Once you’re in the police's line of sight, raise both hands and spread your fingers to show you are not the shooter. Always keep your hands visible to them.

Tell the police everything you know. If you have any information about the shooter's location or the type of weapon they are using, inform the police right away.

Move in the direction the police are coming from. Do not stop to ask them for directions. It’s now safe to move, so head towards the direction the police are entering from, keeping both hands raised to show you're not a threat.

Follow police instructions immediately. Follow their orders quickly without hesitation or questions.

Report suspicious activities. Always stay alert and report any suspicious activities to the authorities. If a student or colleague mentions harming others or bringing weapons like knives or guns to school, inform a teacher or the police. You may prevent a disaster. Many shooters often boast about their plans before carrying them out; don’t dismiss this behavior as a joke, report it immediately.

Understand your workplace or school lockdown procedures. Every school and company has a lockdown protocol detailing how to lock doors, where to hide, and how to contact authorities. To prepare for an active shooter, it’s crucial to know these procedures. While it can be challenging to follow them perfectly in the midst of a crisis, having prior knowledge will enable you to respond as effectively as possible.

Prepare for an active shooter situation. While you should not bring weapons to school or work as a precaution against a shooter, if you want to prepare, you should consider taking self-defense classes or courses on how to defend yourself in the event of an attack or shooting. Learning a few fighting techniques can help you feel more confident if you need to confront the shooter.

• Don’t attack the shooter if they claim they see you. They often lie, unless they are directly looking at you.
• Don’t carry anything unless you’re holding it or can grab it on your way out.
• If you’re in the same room as the shooter and there’s no chance to hide or fight back, lie flat on the ground. You’ll become a smaller target, and they may believe you are already dead.
• Seek psychological counseling afterward if the event haunts you.

• Don’t carry personal items or put yourself at risk when retrieving belongings. Personal items can be replaced, but your life cannot.
• Don’t let the fear of an active shooter change your life. While preparing for such an event is useful, the chance of it happening is extremely rare.