Avoid Deny Defend:How to Protect Yourself in Public

While we never want to be a part of a situation where it's life or death there is a possibility that when out in public we may need to take self-defense into account. Texas State University staff came together and started educating people about the ADD method to help aid in safety and awareness when faced with an active shooter situation. These steps can be used not just at work but also if you are at a restaurant or another place like a movie theatre.

Avoid

This begins with your state of mind. Watch for suspicious activity around you and always pay attention to your surroundings. If there is a threat be sure to let someone know so authorities can be contacted. If I was in this situation I would run as fast as possible to get away from the situation and tell someone in a safe distance and space.

Deny

To do this effectively place anything that has a decent weight against a door that does not have a latch to lock. This prevents the attacker from entering the location where you and other people are hiding from the threat. These common things include desks, chairs and cabinets.

Defend

If the above two scenarios don't work the last step is to defend yourself. This can be done using aggressive means on pressure points that are highly sensitive. You can use anything at your disposal as well including laptops and keyboards if in an office space. Be sure to fight until the gunmen is down and authorities have arrived. There are no rules in a street fight so punch as hard as you can.

Those are the steps for knowing how to practice self-defense in public. I hope this doesn't happen but it's always best to be prepared just in case it does.

-Tristan