Live Ready: A Guide to Protecting Yourself In An Uncertain World

by Sam Rosenberg

Recall the Red Lake Massacre of March 21, 2005, which was at the time the deadliest attack on a high school since Columbine. Red Lake Senior High School in Red Lake, Minnesota, had installed a metal detector at the primary entrance to the school. This did not stop sixteen-year-old killer Jeff Weise from entering the school, killing seven people, and wounding five others. In fact, he walked straight into the school through the entrance with the metal detector and made one of the two security guards monitoring the door his first victim. The other security guard fled, escaping without injury, while Weise continued his spree unabated. The presence of metal detectors does not by itself prevent shootings. It simply causes some shooters to shoot rather than sneak their way in.

Rule #1 of all security, regardless of what kind of security we are talking about—physical, financial, digital, etc.—is to deny opportunity. If you remember only one thing from this book, let it be this: you have the ability to deny opportunity. Based on the choices you make related to the situational factors, you can successfully avoid most attacks.

Your radar is dependent on your senses. It can’t function in the absence of input and stimuli. So, the most critical thing you can do as someone who wants to stay safe is to not shunt your radar by intentionally ignoring your environment or blocking your sensory inputs. Put another way, if you find yourself in an environment you are unfamiliar with, don’t bury your nose in your phone, wear ear buds, or simply tune out.