Pub. 7 2017-2018 Issue 2

10 Jump up and fight back! If a shooter were tar- geting your child, would you run, hide or just huddle? None of the above! You would act! A s I stood across the street from the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, the bodies still on the floor and slumped in the pews where they fell, a reporter from one of the local Fox News affiliates turned and asked me a question. “Mr. Acosta, when will this insanity end?” Her question was sincere and the hurt look on her face told me this was a hard story for her to cover. I have been asked this question so many times in the past that the answer now spills from my mouth almost as an involuntary reaction. “Mass shootings will stop in this country when they are no longer productive.” It’s a cultural issue. Right now across the country we believe that the bad guy with the gun has all the power. We need to change that culture. We have done it post 9-11. I don’t care what weapon you have in your hand, you will not kick in a cockpit door on an airplane again! We will tackle you, fight you and crush the life out of you with our bare hands before we let you crash another airplane into any building in the United States. As a culture we have taken responsibility for our own safety in the air. OK, so that brings us to the next ques- tion, how can we make mass shootings less productive? Let’s break it down into three categories. Our program is based on three principles: Prepare, Prevent and Protect. I’ll attempt to give a quick overview of the first two and focus my article on the last principle, Protect. Prepare: This is an educational piece. When it comes to Mass Shooting and Active Shooter (not the same thing), knowwhat you are talking about. Know what these terms mean and make an effort to under- stand the dynamic of each. Just a little education can be empowering. Once you have a better understanding of how these incidents evolve, you can start working on a response plan that is more effective and relevant to your environment. Prevent: Can we prevent 100%of mass shoot- ings or active shooter incidents? No, not a chance, but we can certainly reduce the likelihood of an attack at a given location. For example, the night after the Sutherland Springs mass shooting, I was invited to meet with a local pastor and the elders of his church (about an hour from Sutherland Springs). I spent two hours with him and his group. We created a prevention and response plan for a shooter in their church. At the end of the night, he asked me “What do we do next?” My response was to tell him to email all his parishioners and let them know that he and the elders had spent a few hours meeting with an expert on mass shootings and have come up with a relevant and effective plan to respond to and defeat an active shooter at the church. They will continue to worship God while prepared to defeat evil at the doors! Proclaim openly your preparation and willingness to defend your flock with force. Being prepared to engage and defeat evil is a huge deterrent to anyone who’s Fight Back Active Shooter Response BY DAVE ACOSTA, Y ou T actical