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Claim: E-mail offers sniper-avoidance tips from an experienced "SWAT sniper."
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2002]
Origins: Each new crisis that reaches national attention seems to bring out at least one widely-circulated Internet message That these messages circulate widely is not surprising: fear of becoming the victim of someone's dealing out death seemingly at random is a powerful emotion. No one can take comfort from the knowledge that he is not a part of the group being targeted when victim selection fits no identifiable pattern, and people begin to look for protective steps they can take to ensure their safety. Even if the steps offered actually provide little or no real protection, they fill our emotional need to have a sense of being able to assert some measure of control over our lives and fates rather than passively allowing someone else to control them. As always, the most commonly asked question is, "Is this real?" Since the message quoted above does not contain any information about its author, verifying that it comes from someone who can claim to be a "SWAT Sniper" or a "Counter Sniper for Presidential and dignitary protection" is difficult. (Some versions included a first name and cell phone number at the end with an invitation to "give me a call if any of this is confusing," but that phone number is no longer in service.) Are the tips (if not the psychological analysis of the motivation and experience of the unknown sniper) offered at least good ones? In general, yes, they match advice offered by other experts, although the message omits one of more common pieces of advice now being given out (one which runs contrary to the usual tenets for avoiding crime): try to stay away from well-illuminated areas:
BALTIMORE (AP) - Men who spent their careers studying snipers are giving civilians in the Washington suburbs the kind of advice they once gave to people accustomed to living in the line of fire: Keep moving. Look for cover.
Perhaps the larger issue is not whether these tips might somehow lessen one's chances of becoming a sniper victim, but how practical they actually are. How many people can effectively train themselves to "look for reflections" every time they walk through foliage or approach buildings adjacent to shrubbery, remember to approach every doorway by walking in a "zig zag" fashion, or spend their days constantly looking around and over their shoulders while pointing at everything they look at and attempting to engage the attention of others? And why stop with these tips? Mightn't, for example, taking to wearing clothing that can serve as camouflage be even better?
Dark, out-of-the-way spots may be the safest places for people to buy groceries or pump gas, said retired "If you look at where the night shootings have taken place, they were well illuminated," Plaster said. "Think about how well lit a gas station is at night when you're pumping gas." Don Bassett, a former FBI instructor who trained agents to be snipers, said people should make themselves difficult targets. Anyone in an open area should keep moving Bassett said quiet, country roads may be safer than busy streets for taking a walk or a jog. He calls schools and service stations "target-rich areas" because they see a constant flow of traffic. "I think he's picking targets of opportunity that are more or less plums," Bassett said. People walking quickly are harder to shoot, he said. Plaster said people should also be aware when they're standing in an area where they're visible from more than "I would try to be more alert, but at the same time you have to go on with your life," Plaster said. As always, a danger exists beyond the direct one created by the current crisis: that a large group of people Last updated: 17 July 2007 Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2009 by snopes.com. This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com. |
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