What To Do If A School Shooter Targets Eastside

Yesterday, Saugus High School in nearby Santa Clarita was the latest school to have been targeted by a mass shooter. Two students died. Several others were injured.

School shootings happen frequently in the United States. In fact, there have already been more than twenty school shooting so far in 2019, and it’s not just high schools that are being targeted. Students in elementary, middle school, colleges, and universities have been victims of school shootings.

Many of these school shooters have mental issues or troubled home lives. Often, they are bullied in the months leading up to the shooting. For students like this, they can get so fed up that they want to shoot not just their bully but even other students who weren’t involved in the bullying.

“We have school shooters because people get bullied and then turn that anger into rage,” says Eastside student Imani High.

Curshanna Kelly agrees. “Shooters dislike the people in the school,” she adds.

In light of the current school shooting epidemic, it seems extra important for students to stop bullying each other. In fact, maybe we can even start being nice to the person that’s being bullied. That approach recently helped stop a shooting at Parkrose High School in Portland.

A shooter pulled a shotgun from his bag. The Parkrose teacher then told the potential shooter how much he cared about him and that he was going to try to save his life. He ended up disarming the shooter and then even hugging him.

However, as yesterday’s shooting in Santa Clarita shows, this anti-bullying approach often isn’t enough. Neither are our government’s endless debates about gun violence. So if a school shooter ever targets Eastside, here are three tips that might help you stay alive.

Barricade Your Classroom

If a shooter was to ever come onto our campus, a lockdown would be announced via the loudspeaker. Once your teacher has ensured the door is locked, you’ll want to barricade the door from the inside using desks, bookshelves, chairs, and anything else that could make it difficult for the shooter.

Once that is done, sit away from any windows. Make sure you and your fellow students are spread out. Sitting close to each other could make you an easier target for the shooter.

Run In The Opposite Direction

If you are out of class during a lockdown and are unable to get into a protected area, your best chance to escape a school shooter is to run. Running from a bullet may sound crazy, but you aren’t actually running from the bullets so much as you are running from the person with the gun. Get as far away from the shooter as possible.

If the shooter has you in their sights, it may help to run in a zig-zag pattern until you get away. Some experts think that would make it more difficult for the shooter to hit his target.

If you encounter law enforcement, please keep your hands in the air. This will help prevent them from mistaking you as the shooter.

Be Ready To Fight If Needed

If you come face-to-face with a shooter and are unable to escape, your best chance at survival is to fight back. Throw heavy objects at the shooter, attempt to tackle them, or even try to disarm them by grabbing the gun barrel with one hand and pointing it in a safe direction, like down at your feet.

If you are able to disarm the shooter, do not hold onto the gun. Perhaps put it in a trash can that is guarded by other students. If law enforcement sees you holding the gun, they will assume that you are the shooter.