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Fight or Flight at Virginia TechWhat should you do when confronted with a gun-wielding madman?

By Michelle TsaiPosted Friday, April 20, 2007, at 6:28 PM ET

Eyewitnesses at Monday's Virginia Tech massacre described a chaotic scene in which some professors fought back against Cho Seung-Hui, a group of students blocked off their classroom door, and many others sought safety under their desks. What should you do when confronted with a gunman?

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Fight or flee, depending on the situation. Running away should be your first plan, when possible. At 20 feet from the gunman, you're still within a deadly range, but at 40 feet, you're a difficult shot. If he starts to shoot as you're making your escape, try to run in a zigzag or another unpredictable pattern. To escape through an upper-floor window, find a drain pipe or a ledge that can slow your descent or let you slide down part of the way. You'll likely hurt your ankles when you land, so be prepared to break the fall with a quick roll. Protect your body by rolling over one shoulder, diagonally across the back and onto the opposite hip.

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Emily Bazelon found out what colleges can do about potential psychopaths. Dahlia Lithwick explored the eerie Weblogs of young murderers. Brendan I. Koerner explored the popularity of a massive Smith & Wesson revolver and explained what assault weapons are. Phillip Carter talked about the rifle training that the Beltway sniper got in the Army.

If there's no way out, then assess the situation. Most robberies, for instance, end without violence, so it may make sense to cooperate with the gunman. If you're confronted with a determined psychopath, fighting would be a better option.

If the killer opens fire, you'll want to take cover behind heavy furniture. Hiding is only a temporary strategy, though, since a gunman like Cho may plan to kill everybody in a room. At least two of the students at Virginia Tech survived by playing dead, but if they had more time on their side, they and others could have gone on the offensive.

To disarm a gunman, you'll need to take his focus off his weapon and his plan of attack. To do this, you might throw chairs, laptops, or fire extinguishers at him, or set off the sprinkler system or fire alarm. Then, you'd want to pick up a desk or some other shield and charge right at the killer. There's a chance you'll be killed in the process, but if two or three people rush at once, there's also a chance that somebody will take him down. (Unarmed civilians who band together have a much better chance of surviving an attack.)

If you're already within a step or two of the gunman, you might be able to grab his weapon. If he's facing you, quickly reach up and take hold of the barrel, and then aim it away from your body. The move should be as clean and economical as possible. The gunman will reflexively pull the gun back away from you. Go with him: Keep gripping the gun and push your weight forward. Then, punch him in the face or the throat as hard as you can. Hit him on the nose, jab your fingers into his eyes, or strike him with the heel of your open palm. Then use your free hand to grab the nonbusiness end of the gun. With two hands on the gun, you can knee the killer in the groin or head-butt him. A better idea might be to twist your hands like they are revving a motorcycle engine. The weapon will pivot and break the gunman's finger inside the trigger guard.

Of course, this wouldn't have worked at Virginia Tech, since Cho had one gun in each hand. In that case, your best option would be to grab both weapons and hold the gunman off with kicks until another person can help disarm him.

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Richard Kobetz of Executive Protection Institute and John Whitman of Krav Maga Worldwide.

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Michelle Tsai is a writer living in Jersey City, N.J.

Photograph of woman with gun on Slate home page courtesy Photodisc Green.

COMMENTS

Remarks from the Fray:

Any gunman has a couple of automatic advantages on unarmed bystanders; one, he has a gun, and two, the bystanders don't know how many extra rounds he may have, nor how quickly he is capable of reloading. This being the case, the idea of ADVISING people to play hero, even in groups, is foolish at best. The best idea is to get low and hide, and if possible call the police. It may sound cowardly, but Superman is just a comic book.

--WolfWithHonor

(To reply, click here.)

Three important other safety tips - running is good if you can start far enough away, but if it isn't an option these might get you to where you could run:

1) If you know the gunman, start talking to him using his name. Repeat the name often and include your name in the conversation. The act of connecting your name with his personalizes you and reduces the gunman's ability to dehumanize you which is necessary for him to shoot you .

2) Stand sideways - every fencer will tell you, a sideways profile reduces your target area. In particular you want to turn your right side towards the gunman since the heart is closer to your left side

3) Retreat slowly while maintaining eye contact and a sideways stance until you are 30' away

--Degsme

(To reply, click here.)

(4/23)

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