DAVIS, Calif. — Approximately 100 students at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) received active shooter response training on March 30 in a campus auditorium. Police have changed their idea of an effective response since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999; now they suggest students attempt to escape rather than hide.
Lt. Matt Carmichael of the UC Davis Police Department led the training, The Sacramento Bee reports. During the presentation, a man with a military-type rifle fired blanks into the audience. Students ran from the auditorium, clearing the area in six seconds.
Carmichael told attendees that if they could not get away, they should hide behind a solid barrier. When a magazine drops from a gun, that is the time to try and escape, Carmichael said.
Attendees were also shown how to attack a shooter while minimizing the odds of getting hurt. This technique was only recommended as a last resort.
According to Campus Safety Magazine‘s executive editor, Robin Hattersley Gray, there is a debate on whether or not training for an active shooter event is effective. The argument, according to Gray, is that attacking a shooter could make a bad situation even worse.
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