It has been apparent for the past several years that we do not live in a safe America. With gun laws being the way that they are nowadays it is possible for almost anybody toget a concealed weapon. A mass shooting can happen anywhere and at any time. Unfortunately more recent shooters have chosen to terrorize places such as schools, large functions, and places that may be in support of homosexuality. No one can ever say what the right thing is to do when faced with a situation such as this one. Anyone who has experienced this has had a different experience that the person who may have experienced it before or after them. Thus causing procedures to change or shift due to the factor of the situation.
I attend a school were there have been two murders in the past four years. One of which I was here for, while the other, I had not even been enrolled as a student yet. Thefirst event took place in the Student Union, a place where on a busy day there can be about 100 or more students and faculty on the inside. It was rumored that an armed gunman came into the Union, made it past the crowd, and arranged to shoot a young man dead in front of everyone. As you can imagine, there was a mass hysteria and people were running from every direction. The second shooting took place inside of a dormitory amongst the victim and a few people they were rumored to be gambling with. The young man was not a student, however he’d made it on campus with a weapon andall intent on using it.
As I said, every situation is different so, you never know what you can do to save yourself and maybe others. If a situation was to occur where someone came into your classroom shooting versus coming into the auditorium during a basketball game, you of course would do things differently due to circumstance. Nonetheless, regardless of the situation, the best things to do during a mass shooting are as follows
● Have a plan: Just in case! You never know what could happen and its better tobe safe than sorry.
● Find a secure place to retreat! Even if that means just running into the bathroom to hide out, your goal is to get AS far away from the shooter as possible.
● Pay attention to your surroundings! Like mama always said, look both ways when crossing the street. Look both ways before entering a new environment you never know who’s watching and waiting to make their move.
● Keep Calm! Keep a calm head, if you panic you could really end up causing true harm to yourself or others.
● Run. Hide. Fight! Before anything make sure that you are trying to get OUT of the location. Hide yourself if you are unable to leave and don’t come out unlessyou absolutely must FIGHT! Remember these situations are dangerous! A live shooter is nothing to play with.
Keep in mind students, that just because you are on a college campus, doesn’t mean that you’re 100% safe. Anything can happen anywhere, so its best to be aware!
*Written by: Alexis Hollins
