Active Shooter is not a technical term, it basically means anyone with a gun who is actively) shooting at you!

They can be shooting randomly, getting ready to shoot themselves, shooting from a freeway overpass, or shooting in a populated area – if they havea gun, AND they’re shooting – then they’re an Active Shooter!

The sad story of cop Christopher Dorner and his shooting frenzy affected me personally, because I lived in the high mountains of Forest Falls, one town east of Big Bear, for years, and one of my sons attended tiny Fallsvale elementary school, which was locked down at the height of the craziness.

This shooter targeted his victims in some cases, and others were shot randomly.  All the victims had no idea of what was coming at them.

The Department of Homeland Security has really stepped up its program to train people to deal with the Active Shooter scenario, and, after Dorner, and Newtown, and Aurora, and Fort Hood, that maybe everyone should have active shooter training. Just in the last year alone, there have been 15 prominent active shooter incidents.

You can start at DHS and get videos, powerpoints, active shooter reference cards – for carrying in wallets, purses and book bags, as well as posters and training manuals.  Here’s the link:  http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness.

Why not train our school children, like we used to train for bomb drills, by jumping under the desks and covering our heads?   Why not have mandatory training for all teachers?  What about mandatory training for all healthcare workers?  And all IRS agents?  And threater goers? 

If you’re reading this – you can get ready yourself, become situationally aware, and pass on the favor!