2014-02-19 11.30.06

A reader who prefers to remain anonymous writes that his employer, the Defense Logistics Agency, just distributed these handy-dandy active shooter response luggage tags yesterday. If you’re not familiar with this particular branch of the .gov, he writes that they’re “responsible for contracting, acquisition, and support activities for all of the DoD. It is primarily composed of a civilian workforce and has their own law enforcement agency, all civilian as well. I am active duty and I hate this place with a passion. It represents everything that is wrong with the mismanagement of taxpayer money.” Do tell. There’s even more useful info on the back of the card, after the jump . . .

2014-02-19 09.52.39

92 COMMENTS

    • As for throwing objects at baddies: I’ve longed for the instance when an unwitting robber holds up the convenience store while I man the baby food aisle…

      THINK FAST!!!

      • When I read, “… throw items at the active shooter”, I interpreted that to mean that I should throw small, copper covered lead “rocks” at the active shooter … and to throw them at something like 1000 fps to be effective.

      • “Longed” for it? No thanks. You’re talking about satisfying some hero complex neuroses – might want to see a professional about that. No sane human being *wants* to be put in a situation of mortal danger.

        We respond with deadly force because we must, not because we’ve been itching to blast someone. This is the type of thing that gives idiot lawyers ammo when defending perps and tilts fence sitters away from supporting gun rights.

        • I think you should see a professional for your reading-comprehension problem. Tom of Toms is clearly being facetious. I doubt he really wants to be in an active shooter scenario with nothing but a fist full of Gerber baby food jars.

        • Yes, because tone, body language, and other non-verbal, non-lingual portions of communication translate so incredibly well in text. If he’s being facetious, good for him. Let’s not pretend that half the camo commandos you run into at the range don’t think this way. You know the people I’m talking about.

        • No sane human being wants to be in a position of mortal danger?!

          I’m maybe just a little guilty of that, and was still able to pass psyche eval. When I was in the USMC infantry 2/24, I was surrounded by a whole bunch of young men who wanted to be heroes. I think many still do. We certainly have lots movies about heroes, and they make a grip of cash, so I don’t think I’m alone in wanting to save the day.

        • Quite right. Lots of people join the military to do something heroic, not crawl under a desk and cry at the first sound of gunfire.

    • All the instructions are valid good things to do…. and common sense. since common sense isn’t common we have to print emergency instructions.

      I remember doing “Emergency Preparedness” merit badge in Boy Scouts years ago, my buddy was posed the question “what should you do in case of a nuculear attack or fallout”.
      His response was classic, “repent sins”

      • Is it the classic answer in the US? In Soviet schools, they taught us differently. On the lessons of “basic military preparedness”, specifically (that’s where they teach you how to field strip an AK).

        The Soviet version goes like this:

        – In the event of a nearby nuclear strike, a soldier should should hold his AK out in front of him on outstretched hands.
        – Why?
        – So that, when the steel melts, it does not drip down and spoil the government-issue boots.

    • Conversely, if you have had no use for licenses to exercise your Constitutional rights, Draw, fire, walk away.

  1. I love this. Just about the most meaningless “See? We’re doing something!” gesture I’ve ever seen.

    I used to have a job where we wore nametags, and they’d give us stupid stuff like this to put on it. Safety instructions, lockout/tagout procedures, “safe lifting procedures,” you name it. We were required to have the specified pieces of “flair” on our badges, a dozen or so, and God help you if you were found to be without them.

    I don’t think I ever looked at a single one of them after the day I clipped them into the stack.

    • “Sheep” conjures up a different thought pattern than “sheeple”.

      ‘Course, even the sheeple are getting screwed, they just don’t realize it until too late.

  2. Soon to come? “Active Contractor Fraud Card’

    Never mind. It would be wasteful to print an entire card simply to say “1. Look the Other Way 2. Apply for Post-Retirement Job.

    • Quote: Soon to come? “Active Contractor Fraud Card’

      Years ago I faked a press pass because, why not? Company name up top (made up), a bar code on it (literally copied from a chicken noodle soup can) for added “credibility,” put my name and photo on it, laminate, add a lanyard and WOO HOO! full access behind police-line barricades. I’m sure it would take me about a tenth of the time today.

  3. How to deal with Active Shooters. Step one, print up and distribute these stupid little cards….

    only government

  4. The items I would like to “throw” at the active shooter weigh 124 grains and travel at 1100 feet per second. Is that asking too much?

    • How about.

      1. Get the f#&k out of dodge.
      2. Keep weapon ready and willing to deploy against shooter as you get the f#&k out of dodge. (but not readily visible to not be mistaken as the shooter by LEO in case they see you)
      3. Go home safely.

      I like that plan much better than hiding in a conference room or under my desk waiting to get shot.

      • Um, if I have a gun and there’s an active shooter, I’m shooting.

        If I don’t, I’m doing what I can.

        I’ve never shot someone with a gun, but I have employed lethal force against a personal threat, and some serious potentially lethal force in defence of others – sometimes at considerable personal risk.

        Sleep deprivation is bad – Mengele loved to use it. If I ran and cowered or escaped, I’d not sleep at night. Ipso facto, I choose to act.

        YMMV

    • Beat me to it. I was going to say the only thing I’d be ‘throwing’ is about 5 ounces of lead in 124gr. increments. Mine will be doing about 1250fps. though – +P.

  5. With exception that step #1 should read “Since we don’t infringe on your RKBA, even at work, even in a federal building, and we welcome lawful carry of private self-defense firearms, go ahead and stop the active shooter threat if you believe you have a reasonable opportunity to do so”, I really don’t have a problem with this advice overall.

  6. Should have added: Raise your hands above your head to make yourself appear bigger and make loud, threatening noises.

  7. LOL. This reminds me of the nuclear bomb drills back in the sixties: “Crawl under desk or a table; curl up in a ball. And kiss your ass goodbye.”

    • My first thought was they should post these instruction beside every no guns allowed sign. But then decided it was to long and no one would read them. I like Burke’s idea better, Post a sign that says “In case of Active Shooter, bend over and put your head between your knees and Kiss Your Ass Goodbye”.

      Maybe a few people would choose not to enter and we all know if we can save just one….

      • That was so that the responders wouldn’t have to look at eyeballs that had been boiled out of your face by the flash.

  8. This is why Amerika will fall, Control Nazis and Do Nothing TruthSpeakers, if only they were on the front lines

  9. This card reminds me of the instructions in case of nuclear attack. “Hide under your desk, put your head between your knees and kiss your ass good-bye.” I especially like the instruction to NOT ask the police responder where to evacuate to. Sorry, but I’m asking, because I want to know where his partner is to avoid being shot by him when he decides I’m evacuating to quickly.

    • By the time the cops are within reach, it’ll probably be over, anyway. A lot of these guys kill themselves once they hear the sirens or see the cruisers swarming in. Or sooner, if confronted by an armed defender.

  10. We had similar training at my work (big DOD contractor that doesn’t allow firearms at work).
    I told them it was stupid, and they should just rescind the no weapons policy so we could throw lead, not a freakin stapler.

  11. Hiding, unless he’s heavily armed and you’re planning to ambush him with your own pistol, is just about the worst advice ever.

    Running is better.

    Fighting back with a gun of your own is best.

  12. Where are the checkboxes? How am I supposed to remember where I am in the process during a situation? Needs more checkboxes.

    Seriously, on a positive note, this is based on this report referenced here: http://bearingarms.com/burying-the-lede-citizens-are-the-first-and-best-response-against-an-active-shooter/

    “This tells us that citizens and bystanders have a very real and active role in stopping these events,” Nichols said. “If we can properly prepare and educate civilians, maybe we can get to where 90 percent are stopped by civilians long before the police arrive.”

    And the associated FBI report/video (“Video: Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter Event”).

    I realize there is always the Not Far Enough crowd, but I see positive baby steps here: First the concession that they’d like to get to the point where most are stopped by civilians; Two, the implicit concession that 911 is not a response to a threat – its only a response “when its safe to do so” – and most of the action happens before the police arrive.

    Even people who carry (I hope) will be doing some form of getting away and hiding out to assess the situation before jumping in and shooting. Would you point your gun at someone in a store without some assessment of why they were pointing their gun at someone else? And even in places where carry is permissive, most people do not carry. So from a 30,000 foot view I think the advice is A Good Start.

  13. They forgot to add…

    1. Vomit
    2. Urinate
    3. Defecate and if necessary throw the feces at the shooter!

  14. Step two should be keep running to another location. The families of everyone who’s been shot while ‘sheltering in place’ should be able to sue the policy makers.

  15. In total agreement with the OP, as someone who works in defense/aerospace I concur that DLA is quite possibly the most useless group of taxpayer teat suckling morons to have ever plagued the earth.

  16. Unfortunately (or not) DLA is a model of efficiency for the fed gov’t. Spend some time with the postal service.

  17. Luckily, since they’ve distributed these cards, they need to take no more action whatsoever.

    Good luck everyone!

  18. I’ve been to HQ DLA once, for a day. It was all I could stand. Ever. It was like being in a kindergarten, but instead of the little chairs they had cube farms to do the busy work in. I’m convinced that if they ever had an active shooter situation, the shooter would commit suicide out of frustration because the zombies wouldn’t realize they were shot until it was time to go home.

    BTW, the silliness on the card was brought to you by DHS, the home of useless security theater. Good advice? Only if you like dying.

  19. We have a run, hide, fight awareness thing at work… Basically run away, cower, or throw a coffee mug, or stapler, or whatever, at him.

    It’s a huge joke amongst a few of us, give you three guesses why?

  20. We’ve had “Active Shooter” training at our workplace recently, too. When you boil it all down, the message is: Employees are not allowed to bring weapons to work, and if a shooter enters hide under your desk.

    The only valuable information they passed on to non-firearms persons was that the sound of real gunfire differs dramatically from what you hear on TV shows or movies.

  21. Vacate bowels, lose control of bladder, wish you’d jumped onboard the CCW train when you had a chance.

  22. that fact that they didn’t make it paper is very insensitive. if it was paper it could at least be used as toilet paper.

  23. There are posters with similar information posted in the TPU barracks in Norfolk, VA. While I do not personally recall seeing these posters anywhere else, active shooter training has become more prevalent since the Washington Yards shooting. I won’t be surprised if cards like this become standard issue, just like glow belts.

  24. How come crawl into a fetal position and cry like a baby while begging for your life isn’t listed as an option?

  25. This is exactly the same “training” the entire DoD gets for “workplace violence/active shooter” response. When I voice the fact that the instructions should be “return fire”, my chain-of-command gets slightly cross-eyed…..

  26. …throw items at active shooter.”

    The only thing that came into my mind was Raylan.

    *Throws ejected round on top of Duffy*
    “Next one’s comin’ faster.”

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