by Dr. J. Eric Dietz, director of the Purdue University’s Homeland Security Institute, presented research at the recent NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis regarding active shooters in schools. Their threat assessment modeling program examined the active shooter scenario and looked at factors that would be most effective in reducing casualties. These factors included locked doors, school resource officers, and staff carrying concealed.
The control scenario was just a school with locked doors and no resource officers or staff with concealed carry permits. The researchers found that the control scenario had the most casualties and the longest response time. Their model showed that the response time would be 10-12 minutes and an average of 20 casualties. Their model used historical active shooter data to arrive at this.
When a school resource officer is introduced to the scenario, response times dropped to a quarter of the original times and casualties were reduced by two-thirds.
The scenario involving concealed carry in the school had rather conservative parameters. Only 5-10% of the staff and administration carried concealed and those holders sheltered in place with their students. They only engaged the threat when the shooter came into the room in which they were sheltered. In other words, they were not roaming the school actively searching out the shooter. The Homeland Security Institute found that adding concealed carry holders to the mix reduced both response times and casualties the most of any scenario tested. As Dr. Dietz charactered it, more friendly guns in a firefight is a good thing.
The research has not yet been published but will be soon.
You can see Cam Edward’s full interview with Dr. Dietz below:
I wonder what the effect on the response time and casualty count would be if, keeping the 5-10% of staff carrying concealed, but instead of simply "sheltering in place," they take the (also conservative) tactic of periodically checking the hallway outside their classrooms and (possibly) engaging the shooter if they spot him/her.
Not actively searching the building, but not just sheltering behind a closed-and-locked door, either.
Ideally, also add in intercom or radio communication between classrooms and the administrators' office, to track the shooter's location and movement and immediately direct EMTs to any casualties.
Yeah, THAT one is gonna be suppressed… Just watch…