CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In recent years, frequent headlines about mass shooting rampages have shaken us to our core. Closer to home, on June 17, a gunman opened fire during a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine parishioners.
No one wants to think such tragedy could happen near them, but statistically, it's possible. If it did happen, would you know what to do?
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer Chris Kopp says surviving an active shooter scenario is as simple as remembering A.B.C.—an acronym he was teaching a business group at the Aloft Hotel in uptown.
"A" stands for avoid.
Kopp told the group avoiding the gunman is possible when you pay attention to emergency exits and have a response plan.
"Once the gunfire begins, what is your plan? We're not going to be there during those first initial, crucial minutes when a lot of those lives are being lost," Kopp said.
The Department of Homeland Security's statistics show half of active shooter events last five minutes or less. Kopp says CMPD's average response time is six minutes, SWAT is 50 minutes.
"B" stands for barricade.
Barricading is proven to save lives. Kopp explained the group barricading a classroom during the Virginia Tech shooting was an effective deterrent for the gunman. Kopp says the items you need to close off a gunman are all around you.
"They're extension cords, or those mouse cables," Kopp said. "They're your shoelaces, your belts."
He demonstrated how you can use the items to wrap around door hinges. He also says you can use larger furniture to your advantage.
"C" stands for counter.
Kopp told the group that if a gunman bursts into a room, throw anything and everything at the shooter. He says it's difficult for a gunman to aim if they're swatting objects out of the way. He added that you should look for an escape and stay calm because your mindset is part of the fight.
"You need to tell yourself that I'm going to win, I'm going to battle through this and I'm going to live, I'm going to survive," said Kopp. "And it's okay to say it out loud. Say, 'I'm not going to die today.'"
CMPD says if you want to do more to feel prepared, carry around a small emergency kit. Kopp says you don't necessarily need band-aids; a tampon or pad works wonders.
"What is the size and shape of a tampon? The size of a bullet hole and a nose bleed," Kopp explained during the workshop.
Kopp also said you can add sugar packets to the list of unlikely items that will stop bleeding. He says a cheap tourniquet costs less than $20. Anything you can do, he says, to prepare will positively influence others around you.
"It takes that one person to act. Everybody will follow," Kopp said.
If you're interested having the "Surviving an Active Shooter" class taught at your business you can contact Officer Chris Kopp with CMPD's University Division directly by emailing him at ckopp@cmpd.org.
