Prepping For Random Violence

Today's Headlines

Kent, Washington - At a La Raza low-rider car show at a strip mall in this Seattle suburb, several fights broke out which resulted in indiscriminate shootings that injured 10 people.  This one especially caught my eye as the headline just referred to a Seattle-area car show, and several of my cousins were planning to be at the huge Good Guys hot rod show there this weekend.

Grand Prairie, Texas - At a roller rink in this bedroom community for Ft. Worth, a family had it rented for a birthday party.  A man and a woman had a domestic disturbance and the man started shooting, killing five, wounding several, then killing himself.

Norway - A Norwegian man used an ammonium nitrate car bomb to attack some government buildings in Oslo, killing nine.  Two hours later, dressed as a policeman, he conducted an armed assault on a Labour Party youth summer camp, killing over 80.


Can You Prep For This?

Can you prepare specifically for mass violence?  I honestly don't know.  "I've got me a .45 strapped to my hip at all times and I'll plug any dude that wants to kill innocents" sounds mighty tough, and actually is an admirable goal, but how realistic is it in this circumstance?  Certainly, being armed can be a very effective tool in the tool box, but it's useless against a car bomb.

So what are some things we can do?

Practice situational awareness.  Col. Jeff Cooper used color codes to describe different levels of awareness.  We need to train ourselves to maintain a condition yellow as much as possible.  Look around you and see how many people are seemingly in condition white.  Pay attention to your own awareness level, and I'll bet most of us often slip into white.

Don't go to stupid places with stupid people and do stupid things.  That quote comes from Frank Sharpe, Jr., via Jack Spirko.  Going to a low rider car show is probably not a stupid place.  Staying there while you watch two men fight, or staying late if you see folk starting to get drunk or feel tensions rising, are all stupid things.  Going with a guy from work who wants to wear his "ICE Agent In Training" shirt and walk around saying "green cards?" covers the stupid people part.  The recent case of the couple arrested for having sex in a public pool is a non-violent similar situation.  While the couple had sex for a half hour, parents kept their children in the far side of the pool and one guy tried to block the view so kids wouldn't see it.  What about packing up the kids and going the heck home?!?!?  People these days are so afraid of being "judgemental" or offending someone that they allow themselves to be uncomfortable or even unsafe.

Pay attention to the news.  Know if a part of your city has seen unrest lately.  If you're going to the family reunion, find out if your third cousin's felon ex-husband has been around lately.  Pay attention to world events and such information as the Homeland Security National Terrorism Advisory System.



Carry some gear.  Carry a 72 hour kit in your car.  Have specific kits for specific locations or threats, perhaps for mass transit or airplane situations.  Keep an EDC kit suitable for your specific needs on you at all times.

We can't prevent or avoid all mass violence, but we can take mitigation steps to lessen its impact on us.  Remember, hope is not a plan.


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