[texson66]

This was forwarded to me from a friend at work. I cant verify the writer's credentials, but I thought some guidelines for us in the DC area might be inorder.

Do any other FReepers have other safety tips?

[Demian]

Thanks, I was looking for this.

[Centurion2000]

Move .... DC sucks anyway :)

[RightWhale]

Bohannon was talking about this last night. He has a radio talk show, kind of on the liberal side, but he also served in Vietnam. He said that when he bought gas last time he passed by the usual place and went to a station where there is no line-of-sight. He is also avoiding being an isolated target as far as reasonably possible.

[CobaltBlue]

Thanks for the tips, they are excellent.

My own two cents:

I am presently buying gas only from stations which do not have clear lines of sight far away, and when I pump gas I am keeping my body between the car and the pump. Paying with credit cards right at the pump.

I am driving the kids to school and picking them up from school. The drop-off/pick-up point comes through trees behind the school, no long clear line of sight.

I am keeping the window shades down.

I am shopping at malls with parking garages (e.g., Tyson's.)

When I am in an exposed area, I walk quickly but take a circuitous route so that I am not exposed to a clear line of sight.

Most important, I kiss my children and husband every time we say goodbye, and when I walk in public, I pray.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

helpful info.Thanks!

[Demian]

Carrying around a digital camera can be very useful.

[null and void]

Do any other FReepers have other safety tips?

Safety? No.

BUT: Carry a camera or camcorder at all times. If someone near you is shot/you hear a shot/crack/whizz take a 360° pan of the surroundings even before you render aid.

If possible do two full pans, you MIGHT capture an image of the sniper. The double images will help highlight anyone bugging out...

[Dog Gone]

The biggest thing in anyone's favor is that there are about four million of you and the odds against you being the next victim are practically nil.

[Freedom2specul8]

Maryland watch ping

[templar]

Wear camoflage. It makes it harder to get a good sight picture. This sniper is going after the best shot, so make yourself less than the best.

[Mat_Helm]

Gas Station Fill Up: Wear black at night and cabelas camo during the day. Throw smoke before exiting the vehicle and use a bb-gun to shoot out overhead lights at night. Use credit card at pump and use lock handle while filling and stay in motion. Empty clip from CAR15 into air 180 degress opposite side of car before making egress to vehicle after tank is full.

[Grut]

Interesting. Has it occured to you that the real sniper might write just such a letter as a way of controlling the greatest number of people?

Even if the advice given is good, enough people would ignore it that he wouldn't run short of targets... but it would let him control many people he'd never get a chance to shoot at.

[nutmeg]

FYI

Stay safe, DC-area FReepers...

[clamper1797]

Do any other FReepers have other safety tips?

exercise your 2nd amendment rights ....

[semaj]

Very good advice, especially the part about approaching building entrances and entering/exiting vehicles. One thing I would suggest if you are placing into or retreiving items from a vehicle is to bend or crouch slightly using the vehicle as cover as much as possible making for a more difficult target.

[texas booster]

This Sniper killing people in the DC Metro area is a skilled sharpshooter and very calculated.

Based upon experience and professional observations (you know, all the experts at FR), this line raises too many flags. Unless the writer knows what the police know, there is no way to prove that skill of the shooter.

I agree with other comments along the lines of ... the shooter knows enough to be dangerous, and may have some skills, but is NOT an expert. I have not seen a report that suggests the shooter is lining up 500 yards away. One shot, one kill is indeed a snipers creed. Not even the police suggest that they are dealing with a professional sniper (say ex-Spetnaz or a true military sniper).

The author of this email is correct in many areas, but when the DC police find the shooter I don't think anyone will confuse him with a real pro.

[jackbill]

Rule #1. If you need gas, watch cable news. If you hear of a shooting at some distance from you, go get your gas. Otherwise, get it on remote roads, not on a major highway.

Failing that, tell your wife to fill up the car.

[hattend]

From AP (via SierraTimes.com)

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.

Dark, out-of-the-way spots may be the safest places for people to buy groceries or pump gas, said retired Maj. John Plaster, former Army Green Beret and author of ``The Ultimate Sniper,'' a police and military training manual. He offered the advice Thursday to people in counties surrounding Washington, where sniper attacks have terrorized people for nine days.

``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.''

People striking up conversations in line at the supermarket, with their neighbors, and on hotlines to crisis centers are talking about how to keep themselves and their families safe. Dean H. Meyers, 53, shot Wednesday after stopping for gas in Manassas, Va.,. was the seventh to die in the shootings.

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 - especially if the area is surrounded by woods or rolling terrain, he said. Anyone getting out of a car should avoid the most brightly lit areas of service stations or parking lots.

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 80 to 100 yards away. He said it's not difficult for a trained marksman to hit a target from that distance.

``I would try to be more alert, but at the same time you have to go on with your life,'' Plaster said.

Bassett said the sniper could be firing from up to 500 yards away.

``I don't think people should be paranoid as they go about their daily business, but I think they should be very aware of what's around them,'' he said.

[Hemlock]

Do any other FReepers have other safety tips?

Yeah, ride around on a camel and wear a rag on your head.

[lizma]

Thanks and ping for later.

Family movie night is about to start.