Training young children what to do in case of active shooters

Aug. 27, 2019 por Isolda Barrera

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Just two weeks ago we heard about the horrors that took place in El Paso, Texas where on Saturday August 3rd, 2019, a young man entered a Walmart store and opened fire, killing 22 and injuring 24 others. No later had that happened, that on Sunday August 4th, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio another shooter was reported in this case killing 10 and leaving 27 injured.

Both were acts of hate and domestic terrorism, although the El Paso shooting is still believed to be a racist crime, nothing has been confirmed. But the only thing we know is that after these two events a nation would not be the same.

Fear has been planted in many and leaving a lot with questions of what will be done, tighter gun control? More background checks? What? No is sure, but since the aftermath of these two shootings and the events that took place on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, with the Sandy Hook shooting. Schools have taken it now more than ever to teach children how to act during events of active shooters.

With the return of students back in class nationwide, orientation on what do during active shooters, has become part of curriculum for many campuses. Deeming a must give the current situation and expecting the worst-case scenario.

Two hundred and seventy-one mass shootings have occurred in the United States since the beginning of 2019, according to the Gun Violence Archive.  Imagine two hundred and seventy-one shootings in 237 days, that’s almost a shooting per day. The times demand that we be proactive so that we are prepared in the event an active shooter comes onto campus.

Many public-school systems implement active shooter protocol for grade school and high school students. These mandatory drills prepare students for dangerous scenarios. These training sessions must help students, staff and faculty with guidance that goes farther than traditional tactics that focus on running, hiding or fighting. They are given specific action steps that they must follow if they find themselves in an active shooter situation on campus.

Parents have also taken it upon themselves to take their children to more advanced trainings that could help them survive active shooter scenarios. The succession of tragedies has prompted more and more Americans to take special precautions, for themselves as well as their children. Sales of certain bullet-resistant backpacks spiked 200% to 300% following the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.

While several people voiced their objections to the training on social media, and of course press for tighter gun control, the fact is that whether or not gun laws are changed, this type of precautions must be taken now and must make it a norm in our children’s lives from now on as they have become know as Generation Lockdown.

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