Mass Murder - Enough's enough, it's time to fight back!

by Stefan Vale Imagine the unimaginable has just happened. You're at school in a room full of fellow students, when all of a sudden a lone gunman enters the classroom dressed in military fatigues, body armor and armed with an assault rifle, and begins shooting at everyone in sight. Sound like something that you would only see in an action movie? Well, sadly this violent scene has played out in reality several times over the past few years with devastating consequences to many innocent bystanders who were brutally murdered by a deranged gunman on a personal mission to take innocent lives for reasons which sane people cannot begin to comprehend. The massacres at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, Virginia Tech in 2007, the movie theatre in Aurora Colorado in 2012, and most recently, the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut in 2012; all senseless acts of carnage towards innocent lives by a deranged gunman with access to deadly firearms. And while we struggle to understand why such a tragedy could have happened, investigate the shooter's personal history and personality profile, and revisit making changes to current gun control laws, two things are for sure: 1) Those that are hell-bent on doing destruction to others will always be lurking in the underbelly of a civilized society 2) It will happen again and there's no way of knowing where or when the next attack will occur So while the typical news outlets scamper to cover every juicy aspect of the story (to boost their ratings), the politicians promise tougher gun control laws (to boost their re-election chances) and the Anti-Gun Control advocates propose arming every "good guy" in schools across American (to boost gun manufacturer sales), the reality is their reactionary tactics are not going to solve the problem. In fact, if every law-abiding American citizen were to wear a holster with a side arm (reminiscent of the Wild Wild West), this too wouldn't solve the problem because mass murder's are generally better armed and prepared than the Average Joe citizen. In the aforementioned massacres (listed above), the gunman were armed with superior fire power than the guns typically carried by licensed law-abiding concealed gun owners. Some of these gunmen even carried high caliber semiautomatic assault rifles, semi-automatic pistols and some were dressed in military camouflage outfits with body armor underneath. In a gun fight, this would present a problem for even the police, let alone the Average Joe citizen. But there is some good news: mass murders in America are actually on the decline over the past 15 years (according to criminologist Grant Duwe from the Minnesota department of Corrections) and statistically you were more likely to get struck by lightning in the past five years (1 in 5,500,000) than being killed by a terrorist (1 in 20,000,000) according to Reason.com. And even

more reassuringly, although we can never completely eliminate such senseless attacks of violence from ever happening again, there are some effective ways to prevent such attacks from happening at the level of magnitude to human life than they have in the past. Ways to prevent and/or thwart a mass murder attack: 1) Family & Community Engagement in "outing" the next potential mass murderer: Establish better ways to identify and report mental illness, provide effective treatment options to those diagnosed with mental illness and prevent those diagnosed with mental illness from getting access to firearms. Anyone found liable of giving a (mentally ill) convicted mass murderer access to firearms, should be charged as an accessory to murder. Those who carelessly put guns in the hands of the mentally insane put society at risk and really need to be held responsible for their negligence should the unimaginable happen again. 2) Smart gun control laws without severely infringing upon the 2nd Amendment: The Constitutional right to bear arms shouldn't mean that everyone should have the right to "mobilize for Iwo Jima". Law abiding citizens who want to own and/or carry a licensed firearm shouldn't need a semi-automatic assault rifle or body armor. A simple hand gun (pistol or revolver), shot gun or single shot hunting rifle is more than adequate for most self defense situations. And no one really needs to carry a large stock pile of ammunition. If you're being attacked by an army of gunmen, just call the police. 3) Establish better security lock down and escape procedures in schools (and other public places): Install deadbolt locks on the inside of school classroom doors and give teachers instructions to lock the door and brace it with desks and chairs at the first sound of gunfire. Instruct all students to get on the floor. Only open the door for the police (or designated school personnel and security guards, using a predetermined password for identification purposes). If the classroom is located on the ground level, teachers may also usher students out of the window to safety (if applicable). All schools and public places should also employ trained armed (and licensed) security guards or have a police officer (also called a "Resource Officer") on site. 4) Instruct teachers (and students) on military evasive maneuvers to hide and escape from gunfire: Anyone who has ever been through Military basic training has learned that at the first sound of gunfire, everyone should drop to the ground and take immediate cover behind the first large object they find (preferably something bullet proof like a concrete wall or steel structure). And when the shooting finally stops, crawl as far away from the gunfire as you can and get help. If there isn't anything available to hide behind, run away in a zig-zag (jerky) motion (like a football running back) and find cover quickly. Remember, that a fast erratically moving target is much more difficult to hit than a stationary target, even for the best marksmen. 5) Instruct teachers (and students) on how to fight back and disarm a (close range) gunman: If you're trapped in the same room as the gunman (at close range) and you are unable to escape, throw objects at the gunmen (and instruct others to do the same all at once) and then rush in and apprehend the weapon. Although this method is very dangerous and may result in some casualties, throwing objects at the gunman (especially hard objects being thrown by multiple people), could

confuse the gunman just long enough for other people to rush in and disarm the gunman. In this particular situation, fighting back would be far more preferable than remaining a stationary target and surrendering to being systematically executed. Precious seconds of action could mean the deference between life and death for the entire classroom of people. Disarming a gunman with a hand gun can be as easy as grabbing the gunman's wrist (with the gun) at the same time that you move it away from your direction, turning the muzzle of the gun in the direction of the attacker and then yanking downward forcefully to break their grip and take possession of the weapon. Disarming a gunman with a rifle can be as easy as grabbing the barrel of the gun at the same time that you move it away from your direction. Then control the direction of the rifle with one hand while you attack the gunmen's sensitive spots on his body (eyes, throat and groin) until they release the weapon. With both of their hands holding onto the rifle, they will have a difficult time defending themselves, and will likely try to use the stock of the gun as a blunt instrument (or simply drop the rifle altogether). Teamwork is key to overcoming the gunman and preventing them from reaching for another weapon, so once the gunman has been disarmed, keep them subdued until the police arrive. Conquering your fear and working together is the key to group survival. Remember, if faced with a life or death situation, escape and call the police if you can. But if you can't escape, don't be a victim. Fight back!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Stefan Vale is a published author, freelance writer and mixed martial arts expert. Copyright 2012 Stefan Vale