The Real Gun Guys

He was a quiet man…

I’ve just recently become aware of this movie. From the trailer, it appears to tell the story of a man on the verge of exploding and killing everyone in his office one day soon. Being well armed seems to have worked out well for him though for when one day another co-worker goes “postal” and begins shooting up the office, he pulls out his own gun and kills the “maniac with a loaded gun.”

I might rent this just to see what kind of slant they put on things, although from the trailer it seems to be more about a romance with a paralyzed co-worker than anything else. We’ll see…

However, I did find something interesting from the movie’s website. This is their advice on how to deal with a “maniac with a loaded gun” at your own place of employment:

Workplace Violence

Unfortunately, regardless of how diligent we may be in our awareness, some of us may someday find ourselves in a crisis situation. So how can you protect yourself and your coworkers when faced with a hostile, potentially violent person?

1. Understand the mindset of the hostile or potentially violent person. The person has a compelling need to communicate his grievance to someone now! Give him a verbal outlet. Even if he is wrong, the individual is acting on perceptions that are real to him. In the overwhelming number of cases, the person just wants fairness.
2. Practice “Active Listening.” Stop what you are doing and give the person your full attention. Listen to what is really being said. Use silence and paraphrasing. Ask clarifying, open-ended questions.
3. Avoid confrontation. Instead, build trust and provide help. Be calm, courteous, respectful, patient, open and honest. Never belittle, embarrass or verbally attack a hostile person.
4. Allow a total airing of the grievance without comment or judgment. Make eye contact (but don’t stare). Allow verbal venting of emotion. Let the person have his say (not necessarily his way). Ignore challenges and insults and don’t take it personally; redirect attention to the real issue.
5. Allow the aggrieved party to suggest a solution. A person will more readily agree to a resolution that he helped formulate. And it might surprise you that the person’s suggestion may be very reasonable.
6. Move toward a win-win resolution. Preserve the individual’s dignity. Switch the focus from what you can’t do toward what you can. With the person’s permission, call in additional resources, i.e., supervisor, Human Resources, Employee Assistance Program, Security, or Police.

Well now, I’ll just get right on that. Notice there is no mention of armed resistance, inarguably the most effective way of stopping the bloodshed and coming out of the situation alive.

On second thought, I don’t think I’ll be renting this movie after all.

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