“Don’t Get Under the Table:” Teacher Shares Grim Survival Tips for Active Shooter Scenarios

While our parents/grandparents had to contend with nuclear fallout drills (which gave the now-laughable advice of hiding under your desk) as schoolkids, America’ current generation of children has grown up with safety drills for a much more frequently occurring emergency scenario – an active shooter.

The nagging reality of this threat was further highlighted in this Twitter thread by “V” (@lareinavicc).

“V” recently received active shooter training through her job, and felt that the lessons she learned needed to be more widely shared.

A lot of people took her to task with her comment of “and likely,” which she felt she needed to clarify further:

The sad truth is that in 2017, nearly 40,000 Americans were killed in shooting accidents – a number that is truly staggering considering we’re one of the most prosperous, developed nations in the world. While V did admit later on that the word “likely” was a bit of an exaggeration and probably not the best choice of words, the survival tips she shared are still incredibly useful.

Some of these tips might seem obvious as you read them, but rational thinking often jumps out the window when you’re in a panic-inducing situation, so it’s important to really internalize the information as much as possible.

It’s critically important to be aware of your surroundings in a survival situation, and find ways to use those surroundings to your advantage.

When all else fails, you’ll have to fight for your survival. Going up against an armed and dangerous opponent requires you to outsmart and outmaneuver them.

Even the best-laid plans can end up getting you injured, however. If that happens, you’ve got to keep your cool and take some critical steps to stay alive until you can get medical help.

If this knowledge was more commonly dispersed, it’s possible that a lot of the tragic shootings we’ve seen in the past few decades may have been significantly less lethal. As much as we wish never to have to need it, this kind of training could save your life should the worst ever happen to you.

For real – stay safe out there.