Do you train the congregation to get down if someone starts shooting? A lot of what is on the internet tells people to run, hide, fight. If a shooting starts and 400 people in the sanctuary start running, the armed security may as well not even be there. There will be chaos and they will not be able to engage the shooter for fear of hitt…
Do you train the congregation to get down if someone starts shooting? A lot of what is on the internet tells people to run, hide, fight. If a shooting starts and 400 people in the sanctuary start running, the armed security may as well not even be there. There will be chaos and they will not be able to engage the shooter for fear of hitting an innocent person. I am just wondering how you train your congregation.
I would love to train my congregation, however, I have not been allowed to do that as of yet. Many churches are afraid to do this type of training with the congregation thinking people will not return to the church. This line of thinking is unfortunate. However, looking at the available video of active shooters occurring inside of churches, almost everybody gets down and very few people actually run.
Keith said what I’ve observed at every church where I’ve worked. That is, the church doesn’t want to involve the congregation (the laity). But most of the churches that hire Peace Officers or Licensed Armed Security (me) are big-to-huge and have multiple Services across multiple days.
And what Keith said about “almost everybody gets down” is accurate. Even go back to Ronald Regan and view photos of his attempted as*****tion, and everyone “ducks down” except for Secret Service and photographers. I had a photography business…we are invincible LOL.
Check out West Freeway Church of Christ on YT and you can see rare footage of how the congregation reacts. EVERYONE ducked except the Security Guard (my hero Jack Wilson). AFTER Mr Wilson dispatched the perpetrator, THEN all of the guys who carry stood up. It’s an awesome example of being in the zone, instead of having your head somewhere else.
Thanks Keith and Bill. This is good to know. I am on our church safety team and I was always concerned if something happened it would be a mad house and there would be very little I could do.
Do you train the congregation to get down if someone starts shooting? A lot of what is on the internet tells people to run, hide, fight. If a shooting starts and 400 people in the sanctuary start running, the armed security may as well not even be there. There will be chaos and they will not be able to engage the shooter for fear of hitting an innocent person. I am just wondering how you train your congregation.
I would love to train my congregation, however, I have not been allowed to do that as of yet. Many churches are afraid to do this type of training with the congregation thinking people will not return to the church. This line of thinking is unfortunate. However, looking at the available video of active shooters occurring inside of churches, almost everybody gets down and very few people actually run.
Keith said what I’ve observed at every church where I’ve worked. That is, the church doesn’t want to involve the congregation (the laity). But most of the churches that hire Peace Officers or Licensed Armed Security (me) are big-to-huge and have multiple Services across multiple days.
And what Keith said about “almost everybody gets down” is accurate. Even go back to Ronald Regan and view photos of his attempted as*****tion, and everyone “ducks down” except for Secret Service and photographers. I had a photography business…we are invincible LOL.
Check out West Freeway Church of Christ on YT and you can see rare footage of how the congregation reacts. EVERYONE ducked except the Security Guard (my hero Jack Wilson). AFTER Mr Wilson dispatched the perpetrator, THEN all of the guys who carry stood up. It’s an awesome example of being in the zone, instead of having your head somewhere else.
Thanks Keith and Bill. This is good to know. I am on our church safety team and I was always concerned if something happened it would be a mad house and there would be very little I could do.