Geoff W. Sutton Blog: WILL YOU BE SAFE FROM A SHOOTING TODAY?

What makes for a safe space anymore?

Three mass shootings have recently made news—Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa.

Yesterday, we made a rare trip to our local mall where we ate our evening meal. As we were leaving, my wife said she found herself looking around to see where she could hide if there was a shooter. We began to analyze her idea.

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As usual, there are a lot of opinions about how to stop gun violence. Our elected representatives debate. Gun control keeps popping up like a virus that won’t go away.

Yesterday (2 June 2022), the American Medical Association injected their ideas. They focus on the means to quickly kill a lot of people. See what they wrote.

increasing the purchasing age for semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21;
banning the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of high-capacity ammunition magazines and bump stocks and related devices;
closing the “ghost-gun loophole;” and
creating federal requirements for safe gun storage and establishing strong penalties for any violations.
(AMA, 2022)

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THE MEANS TO KILL

Perhaps it is obvious to say if you cannot obtain a weapon that would kill a lot of people in a few minutes, your ability to do so is limited.

It is equally obvious that a lot of people want to own weapons designed to kill a lot of people.

Compromise is in the air. What will happen is not at all clear.

But this focus on means ignores other ideas of prevention.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO KILL

As we read the news stories, we become painfully aware of how easy it is to effectively kill a lot of people before police or security personnel can do something.

Living in a secure world is a frightening thought in some ways. Ironically, some have likened it to turning schools into prisons—secure units.

Perhaps it’s like living in a plane every day. A place where everyone’s gear is searched. There’s electronic screening. And you only have to deal with people who use their bodies.

When I think about the mall, schools, hospitals, churches…public places…it seems overwhelming to think about security.

We went to a church one Easter. An armed officer was by the main entrance in front of glass doors opened by happy faces. Some seemed to know the officer as they milled around talking. A man walked in with a backpack. It wasn’t inspected. How secure are people when one officer, distracted by friends, and wearing a holstered handgun might have to deal with a heavily armed shooter carrying their gear in a backpack? Turns out the backpacker had a computer. So, how many glass doors at churches and schools are bullet proof? I don't know. I know glass breaks.

I once went to a restroom in a government building. A security officer was in a gun-metal gray stall with his pants on the floor covering his shoes. Next to the pants was his handgun on the floor. I knew it would not be funny if I grabbed his gun. So, I didn’t. I did suggest the risk to a supervisor. I hope that act of carelessness isn’t repeated.

Administrators-Pay Attention to your buildings. You can do a lot to reduce opportunity without creating a fortress. You might be able to create policies but people will need reminders and building experts will likely be needed to reduce the opportunity for a mass shooting.

MOTIVE

Short of mystery stories, the identification of a motive seems to be a journalist’s quest for a story. Who really knows why people do what they do? Statements on social media, in letters, shouted by would be killers often express motives. People give a lot of reasons for their behavior. A killer’s reasoning is not the same thing as explaining “why” an event occurred. Reasons often ignore the power of pain and emotion that can fuel plans to kill.

EXPRESSED INTENT

Publicly broadcast intent to kill is different from motives.

In the book, The Violence Project, we learn that 86% of young men aged 20 and below leaked their plans before a mass shooting. This looks like a red flag. What do you think? Would you take it seriously if you read a post about a young man planning to shoot someone or posting photos of his recent purchase of weapons capable of shooting a lot of people in a few minutes?

MORE

If interested, I suggest reading The Violence Project. Perhaps you will think of some ideas for your situation.

I obviously hope building administrators and work supervisors will examine their space today to maximize security beyond superficial trappings yet offer a pleasant environment.

Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy

Attacks in Crowded and Public Spaces

FBI - Active Shooter Resources