Read this story about how the security "experts" at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, are going to protect you in event of shooters storming onto the premises.
Mall security... "expert"
They will endeavor to keep you inside, as much as they can in that attendant turmoil, so they can "minimize potential victims... and buy time for the police to come."
Item one: the way you minimize potential victims in an active shooter situation is to get the potential victims as far away from bad-guy bullets as possible.
Item two: the police might be delayed in their response for any number of reasons. I mean, holy shit, one man might shoot a cop or four, as depicted here, in order to create a distraction at one end of town while a team of shooters attacks the local mall. Any moron with even the most basic tactical training can tell you that. WTF is wrong with those MoA idiots?
Item three: MoA has just increased the likelihood that they will be hit by a terror attack. That area of the US is full of wannabe jihadists and the mall's position essentially tells anyone with a bad attitude and a handgun, Hey, come and act out your aggression on the thousands of shoppers we have walking innocently through our fine facility ~ air-conditioned for your comfort.
Like I've said before here and here ~ probably a go-zillion-fuckin' times, if you hear shooters in a mall and you are not equipped and trained to defend a/o counter-attack then get the hell out of that building as quickly as you can. Because shooters might be using a hammer-anvil tactic ~ one or two shooters open fire at one end of the mall in order to drive shoppers toward the other end of the mall where even more shooters are waiting for them ~ the best way to exit would be through the rear exit doors of the small shops along the halls and aisles.
Don't get trapped!
Now to the question: why would MoA management and their security provider emplace this dangerous policy? Because they don't want to spend the money necessary to properly train and equip effective security officers and teams. They're hoping nothing bad ever happens and they'll never be sued for incompetent/insufficient security/supervision. See my post here for a little more bitchin' from me on the subject of how security rips off their customers every day.
In closing, I'll again suggest you take a good, long look at this extremely good video on how to survive a mall shooter(s) scenario.
And if you're in a mall and security tries to lock you down, remember they have no authority to do anything but tell you to stay off their property.
Update below: 29 December 11: I told you so. But don't worry. Cops and MOA security got together to "debrief security protocol" after the incident. Hey, if MOA security fucked this up, what will they do when multiple shooters swarm the place.
