Maulings at the Mall

Mothers and fathers who once dropped off their pre-teens for a Friday or Saturday night at the mall are rethinking their family plans in the wake of recent terrorist events. Suddenly, having the kids gather at the house instead of the mall looks pretty darn good.

“I am terrified now to go to the mall and the movies,” Diana Bartlett, a human resources manager in Austin, Texas, told LifeZette. “On the one hand, I don’t want the terrorists to chase me away, but on the other — it’s my life, you know?”

Related: Kids Don’t Need Terror

Bartlett said she will not take her nieces to the mall any longer, but instead is choosing other kid-friendly activities. “I don’t like being in a contained space these days, with all the terror events,” she explained. “I’m a little on the anxious side anyway, so I am more comfortable taking my nieces somewhere outdoors.”

The odds of being in a mall shooting are actually quite low. And with a little vigilance and a proactive safety attitude, trips to the local mall to window shop or have a casual family dinner out will go just as planned.

A study done by the FBI in 2014 showed that most active shootings end in two minutes or less. The police will usually not be able to arrive in two minutes — and the Texas Department of Homeland Security offers these instructions for surviving a terrorist attack in a public place such as a mall. Review the instructions in an age-appropriate way with your children, too.

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Mall Killings” source=”http://www.Inquisitor.com, LifeZette.com”]Sept. 17, 2016: In a stabbing attack at St. Cloud, Minnesota, Crossroads Center Mall, Dahir Adan wounded 9|July 23, 2016: David Sonboly, of German-Iranian citizenship, shot and killed 9 people at Olympia Shopping Centre in Munich, wounded over 15|Sept. 21, 2013: Two gunmen at Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killed 67, wounded over 175|Dec. 11, 2012: Jacob Roberts, 22, killed 2 people, wounded 1 at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Oregon|Oct. 21, 2012: Radcliffe Haughton, 45, killed 3, wounded 4 at Brookfield Square Mall in Wisconsin|Nov. 12, 2011: James Coleman, 22, killed 2 at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, Maryland|Nov. 26, 2008: Barry Lee Saunders Jr., 21, killed 1 at Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington|Dec. 5, 2007: Robert Hawkins, 19, killed 8 at Westroads Mall in Ohama, Nebraska; 5 more were wounded|April 29, 2007: David Logsdon, 51, killed 2, wounded 1 at Ward Parkway Center in Kansas City, Missouri|Feb. 12, 2007: Sulejman Talovic, 18, killed 5, wounded 4 at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City|Nov. 20, 2005: Dominick Maldonado, 20, wounded 7 at Tacoma Mall in Washington State; he took 4 hostages, then surrendered[/lz_bulleted_list]

1.) If there’s a clear path, run to an exit. Leave all belongings behind.

2.) If possible, as you flee use a fire extinguisher to spray a dense fog to block a shooter’s view. Or turn off the lights.

3.) If you are hiding, turn off your cellphone ringer/vibrator.

4.) If hiding in a room, lock and barricade the door (use furniture if possible) and turn off the lights.

5.) If hiding in a first-floor room, barricade the door and try to escape through a window. If necessary, smash it open with whatever is available.

6.) As a last resort, attack the shooter with “do-or-die” ferocity — preferably as a group. Use your bare hands or whatever is available.

7.) When the police arrive, stay calm, keep quiet, and keep your hands visible. The scene will be chaotic.

This is the America we live in. Learn what it takes to survive a terrorist attack — and even fight back if you have to.

One mother of two sons said the idea of kids alone at the mall now scares her.

“Years ago the mall seemed safe and innocent,” she said. “The notion of terror there was not even a worry. What was there for kids to do but shop, eat, and hang out together? Now their lives could be in danger by doing something so ordinary — going to the mall. It’s a horrible feeling.”