Where should I sit in the class/boardroom

[joemerchant24]

OK, personal safety question for you all to discuss.

I have to spend several hours every week in a classroom on a gun-free campus.

I want the tactically-smarter than I to tell me where I should sit.

The average classroom is 15" x 18" and has single door in the front of the classroom. The doors open out to the hallway and are half glass.

As I said, it is a gun-free campus so think edged defense... and just for giggles also offer suggestions if the student were armed with a handgun. You know, just for kicks.

Do you sit near the door, out of the direct sightline but close to the attack?  Do you sit far from the door and the danger, but directly in the gremlins line of sight?

Discuss. Ponder. Mull. Pontificate.

MB, if you want to run this by any of your high-powered tacti-teaching type friends, such as Mr. Rauch, please feel free.

Ladies... Gentlemen... As you were.

[ellis4538]

Question.  Can you carry pepper spray or taser legally?  Do you have training with the edged weapon?  Also think about a walking stick which you get training on how to use.  Whare to sit is another thing.

[Pathfinder]

Off the bat, I would say sit in the far corner, put other targets between you and him is only survival is your motivation. Doubtful you would have an opportunity to use any kind of walking stick, baseball bat or other blunt force weapon if the bad guy has a gun.

Pocket knife would possibly be useful in a VA Tech scenario, throwing knives - if you know how to use them! - might be better in the initial moments.

GET TRAINING!!!!!

And don't be military in fighting the last battle over and over - bad guys have some similarities, but the training would help you be Zen-like - prepare for nothing so you can be prepared for anything.

Good Luck.

PS: Join the college empty holster movement on your campus and lend support whereever and however you can.

[ismram]

Concealed is concealed! Better tossed out by one then buried by six!!!!!!!!

[Hazcat]

A KelTek P3AT does not "print"

I would say sit in the row closest to the door and at the back.  As the doors are half glass you can see the perp ASAP and I bet the glass is NOT bullet proof.  The perp will either have to come all of the way into the class to shoot as he/she will PROBABLY not shoot through the glass and it will hinder them and frame them (if the door opens toward you) or you will have a clear shot when he opens the door (if it opens away from you) and you identify the perp.

[Sponsor]

[Majer]

Or you could find out if the course is available online and stay safe at home.

[m25operator]

When I took drivers education, my teacher said " Always have an out" here and now if something happens, how can I escape and evade the situation? Good advice for more than driving.

1) You mentioned the size of the room and location of the door, but are there any windows, do you have a choice in seating?

2) If you have windows, could you fit through one? Is it on the 2nd or higher floor? Could you physically handle it, if you had to go out one?

3) Are all of the classrooms, configured the same? Meaning different plan for different rooms. Inspect and understand your environment. What are your potential escape routes, if you don't know, find out, are you near a stairwell, or outside door? Does the stairwell go up or down or both?  Good to know in case of fire too.

4)  What if any, can be used in each of your classrooms for hard cover, desks, bookshelves full of books, equipment of any kind?

5)  What could be used for potential weapons, is there a flagstand, with a pointy tip? Chairs, books, a fellow students crutches? Heavy items like lamp bases etc... Can you be close to these items if needed? When you can't  be armed, what are your options? Look around, your there every day, identify these items and pack that knowledge away for a rainy day.

6) BE AWARE, BE CAUTIOUS, BE PREPARED, BE SMALL, AND IF YOUR BACKS AGAINST THE WALL FIGHT AND FIGHT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. Superior mental attitude, will tell you whether to stand or hide.

7) I don't think there has  ever been a time better than now to talk to your teachers or professors and honestly ask , ( whats our plan? if something like this happens.) Is the door lockable, does the teacher have a key? The cowardly shooter will go on to easier prey if there is something in it's way.

Good question, I don't know how old you are, but you are asking the right questions. Whole books have been written on these subjects, and a few paragraphs cannot begin to fully prepare you.

As mentioned by the other posters, GET TRAINING!!!!
                                       

[joemerchant24]

Training = Have several gun/knife courses under the belt, looking to add Krav Maga to the card file.

No guns = In Nebraska, it's more than tossed from school, it's a gun crime on the record, permit pulled, and likely loss of pistol purchase permit. As for me, I don't discuss where I carry (legally or no) on an open forum. No offense.

Windows = There are nice large ones, which are great if the shooting starts in another room. If it starts in mine, I'm plugged long before we get to the window, let alone opened and out.

CS/Taser/Stick = CS, in the form of a Guardian Angel would be useful, anything that mists or fogs in that size of a room (and the pressure differential) would be bad. Tasers are an option. In the tight quarters of the classrooms (which are all pretty much the same) a blade is more useful than a stick.

Stay home = Crime would fall dramatically if everyone stayed locked in their basement 24/7. I'm not living that way. I look at life as an odds game. I work hard to keep the odds in my favor (stay out of North O, stay aware of the surroundings, don't shop in gun-free stores (on principle), lock my doors, etc. To complete this degree, however, I have no choice but to spend 3-4 hours, twice a week, in a gun-free zone. What I choose to do in that zone is a private matter. Again, no offense.

What I've learned so far:
Tom Gresham hit it in the head when he told me 'Sometimes, there are no good answers."

If armed with a firearm, distance is good, but could be offset if I'm the first target available.

If armed with an edged weapon, distance must be closed quickly.

Unless convinced otherwise, I will likely move closer to the door side of the room, along the wall 2-3 seats back.

My reasoning:
1) The first person in that row is likely first shot.
2) Along the wall makes me invisible until the perp is in the room.
3) I am out of the direct sight line of the perp when he or she enters (90 to the side)
4) If only armed with an edged weapon, I am close enough to have a chance at not getting shot.
5) If armed with a firearm, I won't have Suzy Sorority jumping up in my front sight.
6) If I miss or overpenetrate, the only thing to get hit is a cinderblock wall.

There is no right answer. Every seat has a good/bad side. As I said, life is an odds game. I'm just looking to skew the odds toward me as much as possible.

Thanks for the replies, keep talking.

Keep in mind, this discussion is not just about me and a classroom. Think about where you will sit at the next meeting in the boardroom, or the next lecture in an auditorium, or where you'll be in church.

Skew those odds, compadres.

[charliefarmerboy33]

As some who works in public education this is something I analyze on a regular basis. In addition to teaching karate classes to young people I teach self defense/self awareness classes to their parents/guardians. I always explain that the best way to keep from getting hurt in an attack is don't get attacked. This is the self awareness part. While not wanting students to become paranoid, I refer to the old adage from the 60s "If you aren't paranoid you aren't paying attention."
Every room, no matter where you are,  is different and so your seating choice must be flexible based on the room design. I would pick a seat where I can have a good view of most of the classroom with as few people behind me as possible. I want to be able to get to the door in 3 or 4 paces but I don't want to be the "first best target" for someone coming through the door. 
Constant and regular evaluation of your surroundings is they key to avoiding attack or identifying a danger.


Hope this is helpful

[JohnJacobH]

Discuss. Ponder. Mull. Pontificate.

Well, if the past is any guide, and it never is, but one common thread in all these shooting is A. Ignorant Shooters B. Inadequate
response.

When the first shots are fired IMMEDIATELY THROW THINGS- books, desks, chairs, salt shakers, laptops, shoes, whatever DIRECTLY at him/her.

It will discomboobulate him/her and throw him/her off stride.  These goblins are not  Special Forces Assassins or Army Rangers or even 20,000 rounds a year target shooters. They are monkeys with dangerous implements who will revert to stupidity under stress when challenged.

You can not assume the goblin will come through the door. He/she could be sitting right next to you or at the desk at the end
of the aisle.

Instead of worrying about where to sit, develop a keen interest in manner and style of dress of everyone you meet. Look for weapons printing through clothes or affectations out of context with the immediate environment. Make mental notes about deportment and demeanor. You may spot  trouble weeks before anything ever happens. 

In the Virginia Tech shooting the guy practically sent up flares he was wacko.

DO NOT CO-OPERATE. Make him/her work for his/her moment of fame.

In the Virginia Tech situation, the guy was reloading after everyone was lined up against the wall.

Why make the simple complicated? Remember THROW THINGS and DO NOT CO-OPERATE and your survival odds will skyrocket.

That is all.