If an armed assailant can successfully kill people at a heavily armed U.S. installation, then no one is without risk.
It’s easy to shrug our shoulders at reports of shootings and attacks. Because they happen so frequently, they can become merely background noise in our lives, leading to complacency.
“What can we do?”
“At least it can’t – or won’t – happen here.”
But a report today grabbed my attention: “Two dead, one injured in shooting at Pearl Harbor base.”
And it’s not the first time an active shooter has assaulted a military installation.
- Two days later, four were killed at a Navy base in Florida.
- In 2013 a shooter killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
- The most infamous attack may be the shooting in Ft. Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people in 2009. (You can read about it and other attacks here).
These events shatter our sense of complacency and let the wind out of “it can’t happen here” denialism.
If it can happen there, it can happy anywhere
If this many military bases can be lethally attacked in the United States, then wherever we are, it can happen here.
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However, just because it can happen here doesn’t mean it has to.
I’m not a fatalist. I believe our choices make a difference and I’ve seen this to be true numerous times in my decades in law enforcement and security.
Whether it’s a church, school or small business, action can be taken to reduce the risk of an attack. It could be something as simple as locking the front door or requiring a video ID before letting someone inside.
Depending on the type of facility, the plan may be much more complicated. But something is better than nothing.
When I mention these things, people often jump to technology: cameras, alarms, etc.
Those things all have their place. But it’s people – trained people – who make a real difference in stopping attacks.
What kind of training am I talking about? It’s practical and usually doesn’t involve firearms:
- Situational awareness
- De-escalating conflict
- Locking down and locking out bad guys
- Understanding body language of potentially violent individuals
- Knowing where and when to keep an eye out for problem people
That’s a start. Much more training may be prudent. But the point is to start.
Even the most secure and heavily armed installations in our nation get attacked and suffer deaths.
It can happen here.
But don’t let it happen on your watch.
