Homeland Security Tip: Fend Off Shooter With Scissors

The Department of Homeland Security has released a video advising Americans on how to deal with a mass shooting—and some of its tips have the New York Post scratching its head. For instance, the video suggests that "if you are caught out in the open and cannot conceal yourself or take cover, you might consider trying to overpower the shooter with whatever means are available" ... and then shows a man arming himself with scissors.

The video, which features actors responding to a mass shooter in a way the Post deems a bit "hokey," was being made before the Dec. 14 Newtown shooting. An official says its release was timed to sync with President Obama's call for increased gun control. So are the scissors a good choice? Yes, in a "last, worst-case scenario," says a former SWAT commander. Says a firearms advocate: "That's why I prefer a gun." Still, "clearly, you use whatever you can" to save your life. (More Department of Homeland Security stories.)