Right now, American news headlines are certainly upsetting. With consistent reports of mass shootings, the importance of maintaining one’s personal physical safety is front and center.
According to a recent CNN report, “there have been more shootings than days so far this year” as well as more shootings than at this point in any year since at least 2013.”
As of the writing of this post, there have been more than 40 reports of mass shootings around the United States this year.
Different kinds of mass attacks
Each mass shooting not only marks a grave national tragedy, but it refocuses the importance of keeping one’s personal physical security in check. According to the United States government, shootings are one of many common types of public mass attacks. These include:
Active shooting attacks in which individuals use firearms to cause mass casualties
Situations where individuals use a vehicle to cause mass casualties
Attacks where homemade bombs are used to inflict mass casualties
Attacks using other methods to inflict casualties, such as the use of knives, fires, drones, or other weapons
Be prepared to respond to a shooting ahead of time
Knowing how best to respond to an attack — like a mass shooting — in a public space can be difficult in real time. The government says:
Be alert and aware of one’s surroundings
Practice the mantra most people have heard since childhood: “If you see something, say something” — if someone is behaving strangely or there is a potential suspicious weapon in a nearby person’s possession, please report it to the closest authorities
This entails being observant of warning signs
Also, always have an exit plan, which means identifying nearest exists
While an event like a mass shooting is happening, FEMA outlines what one should do:
Seek safety — get away from the attacker wielding a gun or other weapon in the public space
Cover and hide — find a way to seek shelter and hide if there is no quick, safe, or easy way to evacuate right away
Fight as a last resort — if there is no way to take cover, hide, or exit, find a way “to disrupt or disable” the attacker as a last resort only
Take care of yourself — a person should take care of oneself first and foremost and then, if one is able, assist the wounded and help them get to safety so that they can receive immediate care from first responders
St. Mary’s College of Maryland provides helpful tools for what to do immediately following a mass shooting attack:
Wait for help — after the attack subsides, wait for local law enforcement officers to provide assistance, like directing one to a building’s exit
Show you are unarmed — when a law enforcement officer approaches, one must display their empty hands with open palms to show they are not the shooter themselves
The fact that mass shootings — and other public attacks — are a common, very real physical safety threat is upsetting. Due to their frequency, it is important that one be prepared to keep themselves, their loved ones, and those around them safe and secure.