Six weeks after the Newtown massacre, the Homeland Security Department has released a training video to the public for dealing with an “active shooter” scenario that includes advice to use scissors to confront a gunman in a worst case scenario.
“You might consider trying to overpower the shooter with whatever means are available,” the narrator in the video released Jan. 25 suggests as footage of an office worker grabbing scissors from a desk is superimposed on the screen.
The video, a project which was started by the agency before the Connecticut tragedy, begins by chronicling several recent mass shooting events such as the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 2011 attempted assassination of Rep. Gabby Gifford, D-Ariz., in Tucson.
It then offers numerous common sense tips for people caught in an active shooting, mostly using an office building as the point of reference.
“Find a place to hide where the shooter is less likely to find you,” the narrator says, later advising that people completely silence their cell phones to avoid being detected.
The video recommends exiting the building without trying to help the wounded and offers tips on what information to convey if calling the police.
But the suggestion of confronting a gunman with scissors has garnered the most attention as the video quickly has whipped across the Internet.
You can watch the whole video here.
