Other Types of Weapon

GUNS:

Gun attacks in active shooter situations are among the most feared and chaotic threats civilians can face. The speed, unpredictability, and deadly force of a firearm make it one of the most effective and terrifying weapons used in these types of events.

In active shooter scenarios, attackers may be armed with handguns, rifles, or shotguns, and their intent can range from indiscriminate violence to targeted aggression. Often, the first sign of danger is the sound of gunfire — and within moments, lives can be shattered.

The challenge in these situations is twofold:

1. Immediate survival: Recognizing gunfire, reacting quickly, and finding cover.
2. Ongoing threat management: Developing an understanding of how to respond when the shooter is on the move, barricading doors, and assessing the potential for the situation to escalate further.

Gun attacks are often carried out with a sense of urgency, making it vital to know how to take action under pressure: fleeing when possible, hiding when necessary, and engaging if the situation demands it. Every moment counts.

Pros for the Attacker:

• High lethality in seconds – even one shot can cause serious injury or death. Firearms allow attacks from a distance.
• Easily concealed weapons – attackers can blend in until the moment they strike.
• One Shot, One Target: The shooter usually has control over the situation. They fire one shot at a time, which means they have time to focus on aiming and hitting their target. Semi-automatic weapons enable rapid fire with little effort.
• Distance: They can engage from a distance, often without being immediately close to their target, making it harder for you to close the distance quickly.
• Creates panic, confusion, and paralysis – The sound of gunfire triggers panic and crowds often freeze or move unpredictably.
• Hard to predict location or target – attackers can move or shift targets rapidly.

Cons for the Attacker:

• Limited Ammo: Every time they shoot, they need to reload eventually, which gives you a window of opportunity to react.
• Precision Required: The attacker must aim and take each shot one at a time, which means their concentration is divided between firing and targeting, leaving them vulnerable if distracted or approached quickly.
• Environmental Awareness
• Knowing exits, hiding spots, and hard cover: If the shooter cant see you he's going to have a much harder time shooting you.
• Movement & Dispersal: Shooters have more difficulty hitting moving targets. Dispersed crowds are harder to control than clustered groups.
• Teamwork: A coordinated counterattack can overwhelm a lone shooter, especially during reloads or mechanical failures.

NOTE: Our main focus on this course is gun attacks so we have a whole section devoted to understanding the gun as a weapon.

KNIVES

While firearms are often the central threat in active shooter scenarios, edged weapons can be just as deadly — and often much harder to detect until it's too late.

In confined spaces like classrooms, offices, or public gatherings, attackers may use knives either:

• As a primary weapon, especially when trying to avoid drawing attention, or
• As a secondary weapon when firearms fail, jam, or run out of ammunition.

Knife attacks are fast, silent, and chaotic, often resulting in multiple injuries in just seconds. Unlike gunshots, there is no sound to warn others — meaning the first sign of danger may be someone screaming, bleeding, or already on the ground.

Understanding how to identify, respond to, and escape from an active threat with a knife is critical. These situations demand close-quarters awareness, fast decision-making, and the ability to act under shock and confusion.

Pros for the Attacker:

• Easily Accessible: Knives are widely available, inexpensive, and easy to carry.
• Easy to Conceal: Often hard to see until it’s too late. People who have been stabbed often aren't aware that they have been stabbed until afterwards. 
• Quiet: Unlike firearms, knives don’t make a loud noise when used. This makes them less conspicuous and provides the attacker with a greater element of surprise.
• Ease of Use: Knives don’t require much training to use effectively as slashing is a very natural motion.
• Speed & Surprise:  Most attacks are ambushes at close range (0–6 feet) and multiple stabs can happen in seconds
• Psychological Freeze: Knife causes instinctive fear
  
• Close Proximity: The attacker only needs to be within arm’s reach. Knives are deadly in close quarters and can cause serious damage quickly.
• Multiple Attacks: A knife can be used repeatedly in quick succession, making it harder to defend against.

Cons for the Attacker:

• Limited Range: Unlike a firearm, a knife requires the attacker to get close to you. If you're able to keep them at a distance or use an object to block their strikes, they lose their advantage.
• Distance Is Life: Time + space = better reaction
• Use of Environment as Shield: Chairs, backpacks, trash can lids, laptops, briefcases. Anything that can block or absorb a stab
• Attacker Tunnel Vision: Aggressors often fixate on a target, missing others around them. Bystanders can use this moment to intervene or escape
• Numerical Superiority (in crowds): Groups can mob, distract, or outflank attacker. In public settings, crowd can swarm—but only if trained or led
• High Risk of Injury: A knife can be a dangerous weapon, but the attacker also risks getting injured during the confrontation, especially if you're able to defend yourself or take them by surprise.

Knife Attack Awareness Cues

• Hidden hands
• One hand doing something “normal,” other hand concealed
• Aggressive body angle (“blading”)
• Pre-attack scanning of environment (looking for witnesses)
• Tension in the jaw/neck/shoulders

🔺 Escape is ALWAYS the Priority 🔺

When someone is armed with a knife, the risk of injury is extremely high, even for trained professionals. The #1 goal is not to fight—it’s to get away.

• Run if you can – Don’t wait. Don’t posture. Don’t try to "win." Move immediately.
• Run FAST – Put distance between you and the attacker.
• Run LOUD – Yell things like “STOP!” “HELP!” or “KNIFE!” to alert others.
• Run SMART – Look for exits, obstructions, and people who can help. Avoid bottlenecks and corners.

🛡️ Barrier-Based Defense

If escape isn’t immediately possible, your next best option is to create distance and protection using objects in your environment.

What can you put between them and you?

• Chairs, tables, carts
• Trash cans, rolling bins, doors
• Car doors, benches, signs

These create obstacles the attacker must go around, slowing them down and buying you time.

What can you hold to maintain distance?

Think of anything that gives you reach:

• Broomstick, umbrella, sports equipment
• Backpack, briefcase, or laptop bag on one arm
• Long object + mobility = control of space

What can you use to block or shield?

• Backpack or purse held in front of your torso
• Jacket or hoodie wrapped around your forearm as an improvised gauntlet
• Lid of a trash can, pot lid, or clipboard as a shield

These won’t stop a knife 100%, but they absorb damage and prevent deeper cuts.

“Grab anything that buys you time, protection, or space.”

If You'r​e Cornered: Movement Is Life

If escape or barriers aren’t possible:

• Stay in motion—a moving target is harder to cut.
• Try to circle, not backpedal—this avoids tripping and creates angles.
• Focus on limiting exposure of vital areas (face, neck, torso).
• Stay mobile—circle, drive attacker into barriers 
  

"One-second rule"—all you need is a single second of advantage to escape.

If Engaged Physically

• Control the knife arm—two hands on one if possible
• Cause as much damage to the attacker as possible targeting vital targets like the eyes and the throat.
• Escape at your earliest opportunity

Key Message:

"You’re not trying to win a knife fight. You’re trying to survive it.”

CAR DRIVEN INTO PEDESTRIANS:

An increasingly common and devastating tactic in active threat events is the use of a vehicle as a weapon — known as a vehicle ramming attack.

Whether as a standalone act of violence or as part of a larger active shooter plan, attackers may use cars, vans, or trucks to mow down crowds before entering a building or beginning an armed assault.

These attacks often target:

• Crowded areas (school zones, festivals, sidewalks, protest lines)
• Pedestrian-heavy areas with limited escape routes
• Open-air venues with soft perimeters

The damage is fast and catastrophic. Victims often have little to no warning, and traditional instincts like “running” may not work depending on space and obstacles.

Pros for the Attacker:

• Ease of Access: Virtually everyone has access to a car, and it doesn’t require much planning or advanced skill to use a vehicle as a weapon. the vehicle provides physical cover from retaliation
• Surprise: Because vehicles are commonly seen in public spaces, an attacker using a car can blend in with regular traffic. Attack happen suddenly with no warning. This element of surprise can catch people off guard, making it harder to react in time.
• Speed and Force: A vehicle is a powerful tool in an attack, capable of inflicting significant damage quickly, especially if the attacker is using the car as a weapon. A moving vehicle can easily reach lethal speeds in seconds and High mass equals high momentum, especially in tight spaces.
• Creates panic and panic: People freeze or flee blindly or bunch together. One vehicle can hit many people quickly
• Escape and Mobility: the vehicle increases attacker’s survival time for further damage. After carrying out an attack, the attacker can quickly drive away, making it easier to escape.

Cons for the Attacker:

• Vulnerable to Obstructions: If the attacker’s car is blocked or they face obstacles, they lose their ability to maneuver freely.
• Vulnerable to Attack from the Environment: The car is not invincible. Pedestrians can use environmental elements like rocks, poles, or other vehicles to damage or disable the car. Crowded areas may also pose logistical challenges, limiting the driver's ability to move freely.
• Using Obstacles for Cover: Pedestrians can hide behind stationary objects like trees, streetlights, parked cars, or buildings to shield themselves from the car. This makes it more challenging for the driver to maintain a clear line of sight or accurately strike their targets.

The Crowd’s Defensive Advantages

1. Environmental Barriers
   
   • Bollards, concrete planters, benches, trees.
   • Parked cars can slow or redirect the vehicle.
   • Walls, pillars, and corners offer protective cover.
2. Crowd Awareness & Escape Routes
   
   • Crowds can disperse quickly if panic is controlled.
   • People on the edges often have more escape options.
3. Angle of Attack
   
   • Vehicles can’t turn sharply at high speed.
   • Pedestrians at oblique angles may have more time to react.
4. Limited Field of Vision for Driver
   
   • Crowds can sometimes approach from sides or behind.
   • Side mirrors can be disabled or blinded in a counterattack.

Pre-Attack A​wareness & Prevention

• Situational Awareness
  
  • Watch for erratic driving near events or pedestrian zones.
  • Vehicles idling near barriers without a clear purpose.
• Recognize Pre-Incident Indicators
  
  • Driver scanning crowds
  • Sudden lane changes, mounting curbs, revving engines

If You Hear or See a Vehicle Approaching

1. Move perpendicular to the vehicle’s path.
2. Look for solid barriers: lamp posts, dumpsters, large trees, concrete planters.
3. 1. Concrete columns (parking garages, malls)
   2. Steel-reinforced trash cans or benches
   3. Utility boxes
   4. Traffic light poles
   5. Subway/station entry barriers
4. Avoid soft cover (bushes, signs, benches).
5. Don’t run in the direction the car is going—cut away from its arc.

If You’re Near a Building

• Get inside if possible.
• Use architectural features (columns, corners) for protection.

If You’re Trapped

• Get low behind hard objects.
• Help others—alert, direct, and push them toward cover.

If the Vehicle Stops Near You

• Prepare to engage the driver if they exit with a weapon.
• Watch for second attacks—driver may reverse or continue.