It’s 24 years later and we’re still removing our shoes at US airports in response to one failed shoe bombing attempt. The first incident considered a “mass shooting”1 in the US was in 1949; 13 murdered in Camden New Jersey. Yesterday was a “mass shooting” at Brown University. It’s been over 70 year and the number of mass shootings have increased. Yes, it’s uncomfortable for you to think about. Mass shootings are not unthinkable, they are something you can train for; thoughts and prayers need the follow up of sense and action.
The first mass shooting in a school was 1974, 3 killed and 11 injured. Active shooter drills for schools are now mandatory in 37 states with the first state being Ohio in 2006. the latest is Missouri which goes into effect in 2026. Is it a scary thing for children to have to think about these things, yes. Is it necessary?
As a child in the 1960’s we had mandatory bomb drills which had us duck and cover under our desk. It was scary, in an area where there was an army base (Fort Monroe & Fort Eustis), a navy base (Navel Station), airforce base (Langley Field) and Newport News Shipbuilding which included submarines and aircraft carriers, we were considered a prime target. As a kid I kept underneath my bed clear. There were times at night when I could hear planes overhead and wonder is this was it, but, I knew to duck and cover under my bed. As a result, I wasn’t surprised at 911. Not at all. It was always in my mind there would be targeted strikes. Are these drills necessary?
Back to the shoe bomber, 1 incident, more than 20 years laters, the requirement to remove shoes is easing up a little along with the restrictions on liquids allowed in carry ons. Are there performative actions that just make us feel better rather than address a problem?
In 2024, US injuries by guns in mass shootings were 2,375 with 711 deaths. US deaths by fire were 4,000. You know the action for a fire, stop, drop and roll. What about for an active shooter? Buildings do fire alarm testing and are required by law to have fire evacuation plans. These are things that are proven effective. Active shooter responses was included in one of our yearly mandatory employee training modules, however, it felt more performative compared to a friend who described her company’s policy. At the start of in person meetings, they review active shooter actions and ask for volunteers for a couple of roles. Less than 3 minutes and done.
There is also remediation after an incident has happened. After attending the US Conference of Mayors, the Providence RI mayor made preparations. See below.
Shortly after taking office in 2023, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley attended a US Conference of Mayors discussion on how cities respond to mass casualty events. The conversation left him unsettled.
Sitting beside his chief of staff, Emily Crowell, Smiley turned to her and said Providence was not ready for a mass shooting. There was no indication that anything was imminent, but he ordered city leaders, public safety officials, and school administrators to begin preparing, anyway.
“He said, ‘It’s not a matter of if, it’s when,’” Crowell recalled Sunday.
That is a sentence no mayor should ever have to utter, let alone plan around.“This is not something we should have to train for,” Smiley said Sunday from a fire station a few blocks from the crime scene. “But we have, including very recently.” The city’s preparation did not prevent the violence, and no amount of planning can blunt the horror of it. But in the chaotic hours that followed, it did matter.
There may have been an over correction in response to the shoe bomber. One incident. By comparison, with over 600 events a year since 2020, there is an under reaction for mass shootings. Uncomfortable should not be a reason for inaction. Are you prepared?
1 This is not accounting does not include the historical racially motivated acts of violence against Native Americans and African Americans.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 
😭
Blessings, Helen
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