Active Shooter Training by FBI Agent

I thought I'd post a little bit about what was covered in the training I went to. This was put on by the college I attend. We had an FBI agent come in and talk about what to do in an active shooter scenario but mostly about looking out for it. Overall I thought it was very helpful even though it barely covered actually using a gun. I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but the training took an hour and a half. The speaker had a lot of knowledge from his 19 years in the FBI.The main part of his talk was about being on the lookout. He talked quite extensively about knowing what is going on around you and those you care about. He called this his "spidey sense". One of the big things he talked about was change. If someone randomly starts buying a bunch of ammo and shooting even though they might not have the money, they might be planning something. He talked about how on a flight, the FBI are the ones with the jurisdiction so if something happens they are in charge. Before any of his flights while he is waiting to board, he said he is always looking and observing the people around him. He makes note of not only those who might hurt him, but also those who could help him. He wants to know where he will need to go if something does happen, but at the same time he is usually the only one on the flight and may need help. I thought this was really interesting because we could look around and notice people being odd and instead of confronting them like he would, I would probably get out of the area. He briefly mentioned the green, yellow, and red zones and how most of the time you should be in yellow.He gave a couple of things that could be used as a weapon that he carries with him. He showed us a tactical pen and how even a regular pen could be a weapon. A screwdriver could easily be used to stab attackers and can be carried nearly everywhere including airlines (assuming it is within the size limits). He carries a climbing caribeener around on his bag that is large enough to fit around his knuckles. I thought this was really interesting because it is not hard to do. I already use a smaller caribeener for my keys, and as a climber also have the larger ones. It is definitely something that could be used as a weapon and you can carry around on campus or places that limit CCW. If you do carry something around you as a weapon, he said you need to practice with it and make it a reaction. He was not a fan of keys in people's hands as a weapon because that takes fine motor skills. He said that in an event, you are not going to have the fine motor skills to do that. Make a plan for what you are going to do with your weapons and train with them.He covered the run, hide, and fight. Most of the time running is the best thing you could do because it gets you away from the attacker but also out of the way of first responders. He mentioned that when you come running out you should have your hands above your head, fingers spread, and be holding nothing. If everyone decides to stay and hide and LEOs come in through your room, they may get confused and have to take longer to decipher if the attacker is in this room. If you're going to run but people want to stay, he said you should still run and not sit and argue with them. Ultimately it's their life and if they want to stay then they can. You should tell others that you are running in hopes that they follow you. If you can't run, then you should make it as hard as possible for the attacker to get to you. Pile things in front of the doors. Turn the lights off. Turn your phone on silent. Then make a plan of attack. What are you going to do if he comes through the door? What is around you that you could use as a weapon? You should find the people who are willing to fight and have them near the door so that when the attacker comes in you can surprise him. I think in this situation if it was right near me, I would want to let the people in my room know that I have a firearm and tell them to not get between me and the attacker so that I don't hit them. I don't think I would draw in case LEOs come in, but I would have my shirt tucked and my hand on my grip.I did not have to ask about his thoughts on CCW as someone else did which is good because I did not feel comfortable asking. I knew quite a few other people there and do not want them to know that I carry. He said that if you do carry and decide to use it you should be very careful. LEO are coming in and they are on high alert and might see you and shoot you in the back. Another CCWer might see you and decide to act and shoot you. Overall, I don't think I would draw unless it was my last option and I was hiding in a room. He also mentioned that you should have insurance. Even though he is FBI, he still has a million dollar insurance policy in case the FBI decides he acted out of the course of his job. He mentioned that you could have saved hundreds of lives, but you will still probably be sued in civil court. Speaking as someone who does not yet have insurance, I do plan on getting some soon. He said that you have to be trained for it. Coming from Minnesota, we only have to do a small shooting requirement that you have to try to fail. I know I need to get more training because otherwise I am more of a danger to those around me. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2ll998y