While many safety experts say fighting should be the last option in protecting oneself against an active shooter and others say the “fight” component of “run, hide, fight” shouldn’t be adopted at all, some campuses have been getting creative with different objects they believe can double as weapons.
In 2015, a middle school in Alabama requested parents send their children to school with canned goods that could be used to distract or injure an active shooter.
“We realize at first this may seem odd; however, it is a practice that would catch an intruder off-guard,” read a letter from the school’s principal. “The canned food item could stun the intruder or even knock him out until the police arrive. The canned food item will give the students a sense of empowerment to protect themselves and will make them feel secure in case an intruder enters the classroom.”
Last month, the police chief of a Michigan university came up with the idea to arm students and faculty with hockey pucks following a campus presentation on emergency preparedness.
“It was just kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea that seemed to have some merit to it and it kind of caught on,” he said. “[Hockey pucks] have enough mass to cause injury, small enough to be thrown, [are] portable and they’re not considered a weapon.”
for more information on the stories mentioned above and other campuses that have decided to “arm” students and staff.*
*Please note Campus Safety does not endorse the use of any of these items as weapons. We are simply reporting on what some school districts and college campuses have chosen to do.