With a workplace shooting this week at an armed security company in New Jersey and a terrorist threat against Minnesota’s Mall of America, shootings and terror attacks are becoming a real threat in the United States.
According to an FBI study on active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2013, mass shootings are on the rise and experts say it’s only a matter of time before there’s another terrorist attack on American soil.
So what can you do to be prepared?
Former FBI agent Brad Garrett said you might have only seconds to react, and there are generally three options. The first is to run.
“Think about where you’re going. Don’t trap yourself, don’t walk yourself into a dead-end hallway, and that’s why it’s important to know your building,” Garrett said.
If you can’t get away, you hide.
“The first thing you do is you shut the lights off and you shut the door,” he continued. “You barricade the door (and) put your cellphone on silent.”
As a last resort, you can fight back.
“If it’s between you and him, you might as well try to save your life,” Garrett reasoned.
When it comes to a terror attack, the Department of Homeland Security said at this point, no specific threats have been identified and they ask that Americans remain calm, but stay alert.
