Defending Yourself Against Mobs and Riots
What would your immediate reactions be if you found yourself suddenly surrounded by a large crowd of people who are disorderly, loud, angry, and intent on causing trouble and violence? Mobs and riots happen; sometimes with planning and sometimes without warning. As SemperVerus believes, it’s best to be ready in such situations.
What follows is a bullet point compilation of key ideas taken from several self-defense sources. Click the source links to read the articles in full.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Why Use and How to Choose Pepper Spray ]
■ Active Response Training: Surviving the Mob
- Be aware of your surroundings and have a plan to stay one step ahead of possible mob formation.
- Resist the urge to stand around and watch the mob’s display.
- Always have an evacuation plan for every location you visit.
- Make sure your children know how to escape crowd violence.
- Wear shoes (and other clothing) that facilitate the ability to run if necessary.
- When attending any large public event, you and all of your family members should establish at least two emergency meeting locations: one within the event perimeter and one outside the event.
- Equip your children with spare car keys, even if they can’t drive. A natural meeting place is the family car and you’ll want your children to be able to seek shelter inside the car if you haven’t yet arrived.
- Consider carrying and using small impact weapons or pepper spray (OC) for most threats.
Read many more excellent articles on how to survive a mob written by retired police officer Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training.
An article in Psychology Today suggests that training seriously and responsibly for armed self-defense contributes to developing a sense of human empathy and strengthens human character.