BUDA, Texas, Aug. 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Good morning. Are you ready for today’s mass shooting? That may sound alarming, but the reality is that there is a mass shooting somewhere in the U.S. nearly every day.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 441 mass shootings in the U.S. as of Aug. 27. One day before that, it was 438. On average this year, there are 13 mass shootings a week. The GVA defines a mass shooting as an event where four or more victims are shot and either injured or killed.
Texas is the state with the second highest number of mass shootings since the organization began tracking them. In the past decade, however, Texas comes in Number One.
That’s why Texas Mutual Insurance has partnered with The Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) to encourage business owners, companies and organizations to have an active shooter plan and train employees how to react.
Everybody knows about the Uvalde tragedy in May, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school or the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where eight were killed and dozens injured. But most mass shootings do not make the national evening news.
In just one week in July, there was a mass shooting at the Ou Lounge in Fort Worth, Texas, killing one and injuring three, a mass shooting that injured four at a house party in El Paso, and a mass shooting that killed four and injured one in North Houston.
It can happen any place, any time. “Everyone needs to take personal responsibility and get themselves trained and educated as to what to do in an active shooter event,” said TAMACC Executive Vice Chair J.R. Gonzales.
With that in mind, TAMACC and Texas Mutual have invited Mike Matranga, a former Secret Service agent and renowned expert in security and school safety, to present an active shooter response webinar at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Beyond “run, hide and fight,” Matranga will provide tips on how to plan for and survive an active shooter incident.
“That commonly used terminology is a good start at preparing your body and brain for what’s to come,” Matranga says. “Taking the time to actively think through your situation, whether it be at the movie theater, concert or school setting, is key. Each one of us must change our mindset by becoming more situationally aware.”
Active shooter incidents are not only unpredictable, they can also quickly evolve and escalate. In such a chaotic scene, anyone can play a role in mitigating the impacts.
“Doing things such as identifying ingress, egress areas and knowing the difference between what is cover and what is concealment may mean the difference between life and death,” Matranga says.
“The sad truth is that every workplace should have an active shooter plan as part of their workplace safety program or emergency response plan,” Gonzales, of TAMACC, said. “And part of that should be training for all employees, so they know how to react in such incidents.”
The active shooter incident webinar begins at noon. Register here.
TAMACC is the leading Hispanic business organization in Texas since 1975.
CONTACT:
J.R. Gonzales
TAMACC
512-289-3758
jrgonzales@tamacc.org
