Active Shootings

This shooting was the worst in United States history, and it left families speechless and people in disarray. Two teens committed the treacherous actions of that day. The speculations were that they did this because of bullying, goth culture, or music or video games; these though were all just theories and were never proven(history). After this event, schools, venues, and events have endured grand security increases in the danger of shooters or other violence. Throughout my school days, I have wondered why we do the silly lock down drills at school, but in reality, lives could be saved in the event of an actual attack on my school. I realized this my eight grade year at Guntown Middle School. There was an unidentified man on campus, a code red lock down would amerce. I still remember sitting under my desk, shaking, and almost to tears. I did not want to be remembered as just another statistic if it was a shooter. But it had been our lucky day, the man who had stirred up all the commotion was just looking for the school’s office. Those fears I experienced however, would stay with me. We all believe that we are invincible and that it would never be us. However, with the world as it is today, no one is safe. I have been affected by the Columbine shooting through security changes in schools that I

In the year 2015, 372 mass shootings and sixty-four school shootings were recording in the United States of America (BBC News). This is ginormous increase from the average number of mass shootings a year between the years 2007 to 2013, which was 16.4 (Schmidt). Even though it is not acceptable to have sixteen mass shootings a year, it is still a far more rational number as opposed to the 372 in 2015. Nowadays someone does not even need to watch the news to hear about a mass shooting happening, if not the United States, somewhere in the world. It has become an epidemic in America that needs to change, and fast.

Mass shootings have become one of the most fearful events that could happen in elementary schools, high schools, and College campuses. These violent actions committed by a number of individuals have happened for many years and will continue happening unless prevented. Individuals like James Holmes opened fire in a Colorado movie theater, killing twelve individuals and injuring twenty, John Sawahri shot five students dead in Santa Monica College also injuring four individuals. However Eric Harris and Dylan Kleibold executed the most horrific act of school violence in United States History. These two individuals managed to take the lives of twelve students, a teacher and managed to take their own life in the process. This act of crime has spread through America, leaving no one safe.

Policies have changed since the shooting happened in Littleton, Colorado. Before Columbine the primary goal of law enforcement officers before and during a shooting was to set up a perimeter and await arrival of SWAT members (Erickson, 2001). This policy has changed in many states including Pennsylvania where police had been preparing for active shooters with local schools. Police are not able to wait the twenty minutes to an hour for SWAT to arrive at a scene which is why the state mandated that local police receive active shooting training (Coughlin, 2012). This response and a brochure that the Department of Homeland Security came out with are allowing schools a better chance of eliminating a shooter with less causalities and injuries. This brochure goes into to profile of an active shooter, how to respond to an active shooter, how to respond when law enforcement arrives, training staff for an active shooter, preparing for and managing an active shooter situation, recognizing workplace violence, managing the consequences of an active shooter, and lessons learned (DHS, 2008).

It has spread to the suburbs and small towns. Gun violence rates have increased in the last decade due to hatred and societal issues, and while shooters and victims both face many difficult obstacles, there are some solutions that the public and schools can enforce through awareness.

Should the Government Ban Assault Weapons? Over the last decade or so, the United States of America has been shaken by an epidemic of terrifying mass shootings, devastating slayings of unexpecting victims, and unnerving annihilations of the innocent. There is no specific target, no explicitly sought-out group, nor definite individual. From a classroom of first-graders, to a crowded movie theatre, to a U.S. Naval yard, the location seems at most, random, other than that it is almost always a public place. The perpetrators responsible for these horrific murders also vary, and often surprise those who thought they knew them. However, while the occurrences of mass shootings are unpredictable and always shocking, most have one thing in

Active School Shooter Introduction The intention of this paper is to look at and present some issues and strategies that members of a school community think about when trying to create safer schools. Particularly when addressing an active shooter in a school setting. A major issue to consider when trying to keep all schools safe, is the simple fact that no two schools are the same. Understanding this can lead us to the conclusion that it is impossible to have one global plan or program that can be 100% effective in all schools. “Violence prevention programs work best when they incorporate multiple strategies and address the full range of possible acts of violence in schools. For any set of policies to work, it must be established and

The mass shooting has become a big issue in the United States. After shootings like the one that happened in Newtown, Connecticut all Americans come together to look for ways to actually prevent mass shootings to happened. “Mass shootings are defined as the killing of four or more victims Rates of Mass shootings have risen dramatically in the last few years. Since 2006, there have been more than 200 mass killing in the United States.” (Usatoday.com) Due to the big increase in mass shootings a question is still debatable. Are these mass shootings due to environmental factors or genetics?

“Since at least 1950, all but two public mass shootings in America have taken place where general citizens are banned from carrying guns.” Now, envision being in a mall and you hear a horrible scream immediately after you hear a massive CRACK! You look behind you and you see a man running at you with a gun, you grab for your gun but you remember you have just gave your gun to the government. You would be defenseless because of gun control. Gun control should not be reinforced for the reasons that most mass shootings are in gun free zones. most gun related death are suicides, and these laws wouldn’t apply to criminals.

Now Is the Time Mass shootings have become a disturbing issue that seems to be on the rise around the world, and no one can predict when one may occur. The FBI defines mass shootings as the killing of four or more victims. There have been a total of 274 days so far this year with a terrifying amount of 294 mass shootings (Ingraham, 2015). Mass shootings cannot be solved, but they can be prevented. This can be done by enacting policies or programs to take better care of people suffering from mental health issues, enacting better gun control laws, and by not allowing violence in entertainment such as video games.

In 2012 several mass shootings accrued which reignited gun-control and firearm ownership debates in the United States. There are more public mass shootings in the United States than in any other country in the world. Many of the shooters had a mental illness and most states do not require background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows from private individuals, which is known as the “gun show loophole”. This results in too many guns falling into the hands of dangerous people, which is why we need stricter regulations. Although many others think getting a stricter amendment on gun control violets our second amendment we still need to do something about this situation.

Gun related deaths need to stop. In 2013 alone, almost thirty people died every day because you didn’t have the courage to put greater restriction on guns. This needs to stop. The majority of these deaths are completely unnecessary and can be prevented with only minimal law changes. Why is it so hard to protect the people of our country?

The Evolution of Police Response to Active Shooters Whenever they occur, active shooter situations grip media headlines and create new discussions into the ways in which we as a nation can prevent them in the future. The U.S. Department of Justice (n.d.) defines an active shooter as, “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area” (para.1). The reason we see more active threat incidents in the news is not due to the media, but because there has been an increasing trend of such events. A study of 160 active shooter incidents from 2000 to 2013 has shown an upward trend in the instances of active shooters; from a mean of 6.4 incidents in the first seven years of the study to a mean of 16.4 in the last

From emergency personnel, to retail vendors, to educators and students, to government or military employees and members of the general public, anyone could potentially be involved in an active shooter crisis situation. As active shooter incidents are becoming more frequent in recent years; being prepared to effectively respond when faced with such a crisis situation can save lives and help a city to better prepare for and respond to such crisis situations (FBI major findings, 2014, para. 1-2). According to a recent FBI Active Shooter Incident Study (2014), “individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in populated areas (excluding gang or drug related shootings)” are considered to be active shooters. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the city of Aurora, Colorado handled the active shooting crisis that occurred on July 20, 2012. This paper will explain the crisis situation and discuss the communication responses that ensued on that day.

Active Shooter Situations Time after time the news reports another active shooter attacking both hard and soft targets. A snapshot into active shooter incidents provided by the FBI states that there were 160 activate shooters incidents between 2003 and 2013, which averaged to about 11.4 incidents a year; In these 160 incidents there were 1,043 casualties where 486 were killed and 557 were wounded. The FBI notes of the 160 incidents, “an average of 6.4 incidents occurred in the first 7 years studied, and an average of 16.4 occurred in the last 7 years; 70% of the incidents occurred in either a commerce/business or educational environment and the shootings occurred in 40 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia”(https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/office-of-partner-engagement/active-shooter-incidents/a-study-of-active-shooter-incidents-in-the-u.s.-2000-2013 Page 6). Just to list four of the most significant casualties in the FBI’s study are; on July 20, 2012 at the Cinemark Century Theater in Aurora, Colorado there were 12 dead and 58 injured, on April 16, 2007 at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia there were 32 dead and 17 injured, on November 5, 2009 at Ft. Hood Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Ft. Hood, Texas there were 13 dead and 32 injured, finally on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the shooter’s parents residences in Newtown, Connecticut there were 27 dead and 2 injured. What actions are need to be