Nathan Eberhardt was in a “classroom” when he heard gunshots down the hall.
As screams pierced the air, he drew his gun and ordered his “students” to take cover. He took his mark and was determined that any threat who came through the door to get to the children would have to go through him first.
It felt real. But this actually was a training scenario meant to prepare Mr. Eberhardt, a special education teacher, and others how to react to an active shooter situation in a school, church, business, or in any crowd.
Providing that training is Able Shepherd, an emergency readiness training company in Denver, Colorado. Company instructors prepare teachers, first responders, church staffers, and more at the campus and take the program around the country, from Washington to Florida.
At least one Colorado group and other proponents of tighter gun restrictions don’t think that’s a good idea. They say more guns don’t make places safer.
But statistics show the need for the kind of training Able Shepherd provides, founder Jimmy Graham told The Epoch Times.
Uptick in Mass Shootings
From 2000 through 2022, there were 484 active shooter incidents in the United States, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Of those, 151 were in the past three years.
The FBI defines “active shooting” as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area” with one or multiple firearms.
The term “active,” according to the FBI, implies the situation is ongoing and there’s “the potential for the response to affect the outcome.”
Of those, 49 shootings occurred at schools for children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Another 21 happened in higher-learning institutions and school board meetings, as well as one occurring on a school bus.
Active shooters at locations of education alone recorded 200 deaths in the span of those 23 years.
There were also 18 shootings at houses of worship.
America is haunted now by the memory of mass killings at schools, churches, and other gatherings. So Able Shepherd and similar companies say it’s time to update security protocols and train people to stand up and take care of each other.
By T.J. Muscaro
