Dept. Of Homeland Security Releases Controversial Shooter Preparedness Video
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The issue of gun control brought the vice president to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Joe Biden met with Senate Democrats on President Barack Obama's proposal to restrict certain guns and ammunition sales.
But that's not all the federal government is doing in an attempt to protect citizens.
The Department of Homeland Security has released a controversial, three-minute video giving everyday office workers a "survival guide" in the event of a mass shooting.
"This type of incident can happen any day, anywhere across the United States. People have to be prepared," security expert David Boehm told CBS 2's Jessica Schneider on Thursday night.
Coming just weeks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy and citing the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and attempted assassination of then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the video is a step-by-step guide on how to survive an active shooter situation.
"Find a place to hide where the shooter is less likely to find you," the narrator says on the video.
It tells people how to act if confronted with such a situation, including identifying escape routes, helping others escape if possible and following instructions of police officers.
"It seems that this information is now being put out to show what the options are in case someone has to deal with this. Instead of just hiding, what the other options are to engage," Boehm said.
What is surprising many people about the video is the government's recommendation that you try to grab scissors or another sharp object if you're confronted by a gunman.
WATCH THE 3-MINUTE CLIP FROM DHS:
"You might consider trying to overpower the shooter with whatever means are available," the narrator says on the clip.
It is a suggestion that people are split on.
"They could hurt the wrong person or get themselves hurt. I just think it's not very responsible," Mie Kurahara said.
"I wouldn't stand there and do nothing. So you might pick up a scissors and try to attack. Your natural instinct is to protect others and yourself," said Sasha Durcan, of Brooklyn. "But I get it. Don't stand there and take it. Fight back."
However, security expert Boehm said it's an approach that might work.
"Actually engaging a possible shooter, if that's the last resort, rather than just hiding and waiting," he said.
It is a strategy many hope could save lives.
The Department of Homeland Security was in the process of making the video prior to the Sandy Hook school shooting.
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