Former Navy SEAL Explains What To Do In A Mass Shooting

Shootings like the recent tragedy in Las Vegas make people wonder what they would do if it happened to them.

A former Navy SEAL now teaches citizens and police officers how to react whenever there is a sudden threat, whether it's someone shooting or driving into a crowd or a bombing.

The first step is to change your mindset. Instead of thinking, this would never happen to me. Think, this could happen to me. And whether at a concert, a movie theatre or out to dinner, ask yourself, “Who's around me and what are they doing?” Then, if something happens, what are my two best exits and what can I get behind to stop a bullet."

Experts say one problem is people first go into denial, making them too slow to react and those few seconds can save your life.

"If you hear something, my mindset is, ‘I've got to act,’” said former Navy SEAL Dustin Merritt. “I've gotta react. I can't just sit there."

After denial, many people freeze, but, instead, you get out of that fatal funnel where things are happening. Dustin says to repeat these actions: "I'm up; they see me. I'm down."

"I'm running from cover to cover, or if in an open field, getting shot at, I run, I lay down,” said Merritt. “I'm not running in a direct line, I'm varying my movements."

In Vegas, people first stayed inside the fenced area, then just knocked the fence down to get away. Merritt says think outside the box and following the crowd isn't always best.

"The best case is for you to get out of there, be one less victim or casualty of that event,” he stated.

He also says beforehand, have two meeting places that are away from the venue in case people get separated and cell phones aren't working. If you can't find your people at either spot, then, it's time to start checking hospitals. 

You can find more information here.