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Be hyper-vigilant!

As much as it pains me to do this, I am asking all of the readers of hyper-vigilant. According to statistical data, there will be a mass shooting this week, or at the latest, the beginning of next week. While the statistics sometimes prove me wrong, they more often than not occur as predicted. Out of the last six mass shootings, the statistical information I collect has been correct five of the last six times. I pray that these statistics are wrong (as always), but seriously doubt they will be.

Make sure you are using your situational awareness skills to keep yourself and those around you safe. Be aware of every aspect of the environment around you. If you see something, say something. If something does not seem right, get out of the situation before a situation turns bad. It is far better to miss an event, than it is to be shot or witness others being shot.

Finally, DO NOT hesitate to contact law enforcement with any suspicions about anything. It is better to report something that amounts to nothing, than to feel responsible for not reporting a strange occurrence and something happens. Please join me in praying that the statistics are wrong this time!

I have been ill this past week and could not write a post due to being so ill. I feel better now, and should have another post later this week. Stay safe and hyper-vigilant, … Mark

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The types of mass shooters

As I was writing classes for law enforcement this week, it dawned on me that some of the same factors that will guide law enforcement through an investigation might be helpful to the churches and the individuals who fill those churches. For that reason, I will share some of the basic research findings about mass shooters.

Many classify mass shooters as mentally ill, but this does an injustice to the mentally ill, and lead people to wrongly classify the motivations behind mass shootings. Through my research, I have identified five different types of mass shooters (which could also be a mass bomber in most instances). Some may wonder why we would classify mass shooters. The explanation is simple: The more unique factors that we can identify, the more we know what makes them tick. As we learn more about what makes them tick, the better we can prevent these mass killings. The classification of mass shooters are:

  • Terrorists Mass Shooter/Bomber
  • PTSD Mass Shooter
  • Domestic Spillover Mass Shooter
  • Mental Illness Mass Shooter
  • Fame and Recognition Mass Shooter

It should be noted that these classifications of mass shooters are the basic classification. It provides a guide of what warning signs and actions we need to be looking for: However, as can be seen from the Venn Diagram below, they may be part of two or more classifications.

As an example, a veteran returning from war may have PTSD, Mental health problems, and Domestic Spillover that have combined and drives them to become a mass shooter. From knowing this information, we can deduct that pressure is building, and if and when they explode, it will likely be a rage shooting, meaning they can’t take any more and they act out with little warning and little to no planning.

It is important to note that not all PTSD cases are military veterans. These individuals can have PTSD from  multiple different reasons including; sexual abuse, child abuse, public safety work, and more. In instances where multiple classifications interact, pretty much only those trained in classifying potential shooters will be able to differentiate the melding of more than one type of shooter classification.

Understanding the driving factors which identify the type of (potential) shooter someone might become can help to mitigate and stop the actual act of violence. By knowing what their motivations are, we can gain basic knowledge of how to approach them, what their motivators and triggers are, and the type of help they may need or the actions that can legally be taken to stop them in advance of an incident.

It is important to remember that untrained individuals should not approach them, but refer your suspicions to an expert who knows what typically works, up to and including taking them off of the streets. Should you think that you have identified a potential shooter, do not attempt to engage them! This action could have deadly consequences. Also, you should never (EVER) visit them at their home, even if invited. Many individuals have thought out what they would do if they had “their enemy” on their home turf.

Next week, I will begin describing each of these mass shooters/bombers classifications, and describe what their motivators often are, as well as their preferred weapons. Until then, … Mark

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My rant!

I read Carl Chinn’s guest blog this week, and it was so obvious how prevalent violence in the church has become. If you haven’t read it, you might want to. The statistics are almost unbelievable. It just goes to show how far our society has declined, and the true hold that Satan has on much of our society! I will stop here, and leave it as the end of my first rant, even though I could write pages on it. Something tells me I would be preaching to the choir.

As is common, I also looked back over the news and information that I found or was sent this week. I couldn’t help but wonder if some people haven’t lost their ever-loving mind because of mass shooters, and the fears that they have about them. Some of this news just made me shake my head. I especially am shaking my head about putting a bucket of river rock in each classroom for students to throw at a mass shooter.

It seems that a school administrator in Pennsylvania has come up with a bucket of rocks in each classroom as a “last ditch” effort to defend themselves against a mass shooter in their school. Now don’t get me wrong, using anything against someone actively trying to kill you, or someone else, is better than laying down and dying. Of course we can also look at David and Goliath; it seems a rock did help David out.  I mean, we do teach the Run, Hide, Fight (fight as a last resort) and the ALICE training, but books would do the same thing as these rocks to distract and/or hurt a shooter, if needed. Still, is it really that smart to provide teenage boys and girls a bucket of rocks against someone wanting to kill them?

I don’t know about most of you, but when I was growing up, I thought I was invincible. As a six year old, I jumped through a  garage entry door (that had windows from top to bottom) while playing batman (I was not the brightest child).  That caused me to have numerous stitches, and from what I am told, it was touch and go for a while from all the blood loss. The worst part was I didn’t learn from that experience. When I was 11 or so, and my family was building a house, When we were sheathing and shingling it, I would regularly jump off the roof, a 10-12 foot drop. Why? Because it didn’t take as long as climbing down the ladder. I look back and think of the many times I pulled stupid moves similar to this, including working on my three wheeler and making it run almost 90 miles per hour at the ripe age of 15. I also think about others, people that have good common sense today, that used to build ramps and jump an ATV over power lines on their farms, and the kids I knew as teenagers that used to play with fire and gunpowder. If any of today’s teenagers have the same mentality I (and others) did when I was that age, then they have played it out in their mind how they would save the rest of the school from a shooter because of their pitching arm. Unfortunately, that will likely get several killed.  Perhaps it would be better for the school to have fundraisers and provide some better security measures. On the other hand, at least they aren’t ignoring the situation. Still, I believe that they are putting their students at more risk.

My final rant is based on the recent rash of explosives. A few months ago, I predicted that bombs would start to be an issue. I also predicted that they would eventually work their way into our houses of worship. We only need to look at the past two weeks to see how this is beginning to come to fruition. Over the last few weeks, we have seen a bomber in Austin, a man that sent explosives to 11 military bases, a teenager who brought a bomb to school, and various other incidents related to explosives. These types of incidents only leads me to believe that we will see more of these types of incidents, and they will begin to filter into our churches. Please be vigilant, and look for anything suspicious in our houses of worship, whether a person or a package. The devil and his minions are unfortunately alive and well. Let’s try to thwart their success. Until next time, … Mark