This may sound flippant, but throw the book at a perceived threat.

In the Army, we trained repetitively. We use the crawl-walk-run method of training. We go through every detail working up to a full fledged assault. The same is true when I wrestled. I’ve probably done every single move you can think of hundreds if not thousands of times. You do this to create muscle memory. Instead of thinking about it, you do it instinctively.

We did Immediate Action drills when on Infantry patrols. If there was a far-ambush, where you face Indirect Fire by artillery or mortars or sniper attack, you seek cover and evade. But in a near-ambush, you have no choice but to go directly into the fight as fast and as hard as you can. I won’t give details, but when you set up a near-ambush, you don’t give options for escape. So the only option is to go to the enemy.

When I’m sitting in church, I have located 2 or 3 thick hymnals, which are big, hard song books. Someone meant to do harm will focus on the speaker up front or maybe someone in particular who they are after. They aren’t expecting me to fling heavy books at full speed at their head. If you scoff at this, have someone throw a 2 pound book at your face and see how it feels. Now, imagine the whole congregation throwing books, shoes, or whatever they could find at the offender. Believe me, that person is going down. And then people need to rush that person and neutralize the threat.

Wherever you are, think of a few heavy objects you can grab quickly should something happen. If you are a person of action, make sure you are always in a place where you can be proactive. If you need to lunge at someone, be where you can be effective.

Most importantly, we have to be aware of our surroundings. Know the exits. Know places of cover. And know what weapons you can use to protect yourself and your loved ones. If every single person thought this way, we’d be much safer. Rehearse in your mind what you might do. Rehearse how to do CPR. Rehearse rolling out of bed to the side and preparing to fight. Rehearse crawling into the shelter during a tornado.

The worst thing you can think is that it will never happen to you. Most incidents happen in seconds. And help is usually at least 5 minutes away. So YOU need to be the one who protects those you love. An attacker expects an easy target. He is expecting sheep and not lions. Be the lion! Be a whole pride of lions! Don’t cower in the corner or under the desk. That is what they are expecting. Stand up for yourself and be brave.