By having Internet access in Africa, we were able to hear about the horrific shootings in Las Vegas. There are many who offer solutions, like tighter gun control or better screening of certain people in our population. I happen to believe that this problem will not end until the Lord returns and puts away sin once and for all. As good as our law enforcement is, the shooter will always have the upper hand. We need to determine a way to stop the perpetrator or learn how to keep the greatest number of people from getting hurt.
Each of us must maintain a level of situational awareness wherever we go. There is no use to fear these kind of attacks, but we should learn what we can about our surroundings. Our schools have changed the way they operate after the mass shooting in the Northeast. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the active shooter situations occur where large groups of people congregate. If you go to one of these events, then you must have some type of plan. Answer questions like:
Where are the primary and secondary exits? Where is the safest place for you and your family to go to avoid the bullets and the stampede of people?
As stated earlier, the shooter has the advantage. A possible way to prevent this: if you see something that does not look right, then say something immediately. Flying has become safer because much greater levels of security are exercised. A day is coming when metal detectors will have to be placed in most public buildings. After the mall shooting in Kenya a number of years ago, your vehicle is searched by officers and dogs before it enters the parking deck. If you think about it, most positive changes have come in response to an active shooter event. It would be nice to see us take the offense on this one day.
My prayer would be that no one ever has to deal with this again, but I do not believe that to be reality. We just have to be prepared for the active shooter, just like schools prepare for fires by doing fire drills. It is a given fact that criminal events are more likely to occur in our lives than fires. We cannot stick our heads in the sane and say that this will never happen. I would rather have a plan that never gets executed than be completely oblivious to my surroundings. Stay vigilant and watchful as you live your lives.
