With more mass shootings happening in the United States, how can you protect yourself if you're caught up in one? Here’s what you should know.

Stay Alert

First, it’s important to prepare. Between 2000 and 2018, 884 people were killed in 277 active U.S. shootings, defined as “individuals actively involved in killing or attempting to kill in a confined and densely populated area,” according to the FBI.

So, when you’re in a confined and populated area, be aware of your surroundings and know the escape routes.

Run

If gunfire erupts, move as quickly as possible to keep distance between you and the shooter. And make yourself a difficult target while running.

“It’s very difficult to hit a moving target,” Brian Rauchbach, owner and head trainer at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, California, told the Los Angeles Times.

At the same time, it is also important to move quietly, to keep from attracting the shooter's attention.

Hide

If you can’t run away, try to put as many obstacles as possible between you and the shooter.

Find a hiding place with thicker walls and fewer windows. Brick walls and solid steel can block bullets to a great extent.

If possible, lock doors, turn off lights, mute phones and turn off other electronic devices. Stay in place until it is safe to go out.

Fight

If you can neither run away nor hide when a shooting occurs, take action when your life is in imminent danger.

Be aggressive and throw any available items at the shooter, be it a chair or book.

Once you get yourself out of danger, keep running and don’t stop. 

Call 911, but keep moving until you are completely out of the danger zone.

If you can’t get out and are stuck in a safe hiding place, wait until authorities arrive to help you.

When law enforcement arrives, show your empty hands with open palms.

The above guidance does not apply to every shooting, and precise responses may depend on circumstances at the scene.

But preparation, education and training can play an important role in improving our safety.

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