active shooter

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines an active shooter as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.", excluding self-defense, gang or drug violence, crossfire, and domestic disputes.

In 2008, the United States Department of Homeland Security defined an active shooter as "an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims."{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdf |title=Active Shooter: How to Respond |publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security |date=October 2008}}

The terminology "active shooter" is critiqued by some academics. There have been several mass stabbings that have high casualty counts, for instance in Belgium (Dendermonde nursery attack; 1 adult and 2 infants dead), Canada (2014 Calgary stabbing; 5 adults dead), China (2008 Beijing Drum Tower stabbings; 1 adult dead), Japan (Ikeda school massacre and Sagamihara stabbings; 8 children and 19 sleeping disabled adults dead, respectively), and Pennsylvania (Franklin Regional High School stabbing; no deaths). Ron Borsch recommends the term rapid mass murder. Due to a worldwide increase in firearm and non-firearm based mass casualty attacks, including attacks with vehicles, explosives, incendiary devices, stabbings, slashing, and acid attacks, Tau Braun and the Violence Prevention Agency (VPA) has encouraged the use of the more accurate descriptor mass casualty attacker (MCA).{{Cite web|url=http://eventscribe.com/2016/NACCHOSummit/QRcode.asp?Pres=134403|title=2016 Preparedness Summit|website=eventscribe.com|access-date=2017-10-04}}

In police training manuals, the police response to an active shooter scenario is different from hostage rescue and barricaded suspect situations.{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=John |title=Active Shooter Response & Tactics |url=https://info.publicintelligence.net/LAactiveshootertactics.pdf |website=publicintelligence.net |publisher=Los Angeles County Sheriff Department |access-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220711053639/https://info.publicintelligence.net/LAactiveshootertactics.pdf |archive-date=11 July 2022 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Tactical Response Magazine|volume=12 |url=https://www.ncbrt.lsu.edu/images/news/tacticalmagazine.pdf |website=ncbrt.lsu.edu |publisher=National Center for Biomedical Research and Training |access-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010221610/https://www.ncbrt.lsu.edu/images/news/tacticalmagazine.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2016 |language=en-US |date=8 February 2014 |url-status=dead}} Police officers responding to an armed barricaded suspect often deploy with the intention of containing the suspect within a perimeter, gaining information about the situation, attempting negotiation with the suspect, and waiting for specialist teams like SWAT.

If police officers believe that a shooter intends to kill as many people as possible before killing themselves, they may use a tactic like immediate action rapid deployment.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=240814|title=Abstracts Database - National Criminal Justice Reference Service|website=www.ncjrs.gov}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/fs-fd/iard-drai-eng.htm|title=Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) Program|first=Government of Canada, RCMP, Public Affairs and Communication Services Directorate, Corporate|last=Communications|website=www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca}}

In the United States, the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012, passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, clarified the statutory authority for federal law enforcement agencies to provide investigatory assistance to the States.{{cite report |last1=Krouse |first1=William J. |last2=Richardson |first2=Daniel J. |title=Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims, 1999–2013| url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf |publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=July 30, 2015 |page=26}}{{cite journal |last1=Booty |first1=Marisa |last2=O’Dwyer |first2=Jayne |last3=Webster |first3=Daniel |first4=Alex |last4=McCourt |first5=Cassandra |last5=Crifasi |title=Describing a "mass shooting": the role of databases in understanding burden |journal=Injury Epidemiology |volume=6 |issue=47 |year=2019 |page=47 |doi=10.1186/s40621-019-0226-7 |pmid=31828004 |pmc=6889601 |doi-access=free }}{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Ye Hee Lee |authorlink=Michelle Ye Hee Lee |date=December 3, 2015 |title=Obama's inconsistent claim on the 'frequency' of mass shootings in the U.S. compared to other countries |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/12/03/obamas-inconsistent-claim-on-the-frequency-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-compared-to-other-countries/ |access-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305235633/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/12/03/obamas-inconsistent-claim-on-the-frequency-of-mass-shootings-in-the-u-s-compared-to-other-countries/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Spa killings another grisly chapter in Georgia history |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/spa-killings-another-grisly-chapter-in-georgia-history/JRDTBRUE4JDZ5GLU77I2LDSZNE/ |first=Mandi |last=Albright |date=March 17, 2021}} The definition of "active shooter," subsequently agreed to by The White House, the Department of Justice (DOJ) including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Department of Education (DOE), is:

...one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit in this definition is the shooter’s use of one or more firearms.{{cite report |last1=Blair |first1=J. Pete |last2=Schweit |first2=Katherine W. |year=2014 |title=A study of active shooter incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |url=https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-study-2000-2013-1.pdf/view}}

In contrast with the definitions of mass killings or mass murder, the definition of active shooter includes the use of firearms, but does not include a threshold for fatalities (which may be none).

Pursuant to the responsibilities assigned to the DOJ by the Act, the FBI initiated a program including research into active shooter incidents and the development of training resources in support of helping national, state, and local law enforcement agencies prevent, respond to, and recover from such attacks.{{cite journal |title=A coproduction research model between academia and law enforcement responsible for investigating threats |first1=James M. |last1=Silver |first2=Sarah W. |last2=Craun |first3=John V. |last3=Wyman |first4=Andre B. |last4=Simons |date=April 26, 2021 |journal=Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=32–43 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/18335330.2021.1880018 |doi=10.1080/18335330.2021.1880018|s2cid=233402612|url-access=subscription }} The scope of this program is explicitly not mass killings or mass shootings but rather "a study of a specific type of shooting situation law enforcement and the public may face." Gang- and drug-related incidents are out of scope of this initiative.{{cite news |title=Yes, Mass Shootings Are Occurring More Often |first=Mark |last=Follman |magazine=Mother Jones |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/mass-shootings-rising-harvard/ |date=October 21, 2014}} The first FBI report on active shooter incidents was published in September 2014; the FBI has since released annual updates and a 20-year review.{{cite web |title=Active Shooter Safety Resources |url=https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/active-shooter-safety-resources |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation }}{{cite report |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |title= Active shooter incidents 20-year review, 2000–2019 |date=2021 |url=https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-incidents-20-year-review-2000-2019-060121.pdf/view}}{{cite news |title=FBI releases report examining 20 years of active shooter incidents |first=Shannon |last=Ryan |date=June 11, 2021 |publisher=KTBC |location=Austin, Texas |url=https://www.fox7austin.com/news/fbi-releases-report-examining-20-years-of-active-shooter-incidents}}{{cite news |title=The F.B.I. released a report showing a steep rise in 'active' shooters on Monday |last=Thrush |first=Glenn |authorlink=Glenn Thrush |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 24, 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/24/us/shooting-robb-elementary-uvalde#shootings-fbi-data}}{{cite news |title=F.B.I. Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000 |last=Schmidt |first=Michael S.|authorlink=Michael S. Schmidt |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 25, 2014 |page=A.19 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/us/25shooters.html}}{{cite news |title='Active shooter' attacks in 2021 doubled over recent years, FBI says |first=Mark |last=Berman |date=May 23, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/05/23/active-shooter-fbi-report/}}

The 2014 FBI report on active shooter incidents covered the period 2000 through 2013 and was the first time the United States federal government comprehensively identified and studied active shooter incidents over a significant period of time. 160 incidents and 486 deaths were included in the study. The frequency and severity of active shooter incidents rose during the study period, averaging 6.4 incidents per year from 2000 through 2006 and 16.4 incidents per year from 2007 through 2013, with 366 of the 486 deaths occurring from 2007 through 2013.

According to the 2022 FBI report, the frequency of active shooter incidents rose in 2021, with 61 incidents, up from 40 in 2020 and 30 in each of 2018 and 2019. 103 victims were killed and 140 wounded in the 2021 incidents (not including the perpetrators). In 2021, more active shooting incidents involved multiple locations. All but one of the 2021 active shooters were male. Thirty of the 61 2021 active shooters were apprehended by law enforcement, 14 were killed by law enforcement, eleven took their own lives, and four were killed by armed citizens.

According to the 2023 FBI report, the number of casualties in active shooter incidents rose in 2022, with 100 killed and 213 injured (not including the perpetrators) in 50 incidents. Twenty-nine of the 50 2022 active shooters were apprehended by law enforcement, seven were killed by law enforcement, two were killed by armed citizens, nine took their own lives, and three remained at large.{{cite news |title=The US in 2022 saw highest number of 'active shooter' casualties – deaths or injuries – of the past 5 years, FBI report finds |first1=Nouran |last1=Salahieh |first2=Hannah |last2=Rabinowitz |first3=Holmes |last3=Lybrand |agency=CNN |date=April 26, 2023 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/26/us/us-active-shooter-incidents-2022-fbi/index.html}}

According to Ron Borsch, active shooters are not inclined to negotiate, preferring to kill as many people as possible, often to gain notoriety. Active shooters generally do not lie in wait to battle responding law enforcement officers. Few law enforcement officers have been injured responding to active shooter incidents; fewer still have been killed.{{cite web|last1=Ron |first1=Borsch |title=Solo Officer Entry for Active Shooters: Ron Borsch Q&A Part 1 |url=http://www.spartancops.com/solo-officer-entry-active-shooters-ron-borsch-qa-part-1/ |website=Spartan Cops |accessdate=September 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403072901/http://www.spartancops.com/solo-officer-entry-active-shooters-ron-borsch-qa-part-1/ |archivedate=April 3, 2015 }} As noted, more often than not, when the prospect of confrontation with responding law enforcement becomes unavoidable, the active shooter commits suicide. And when civilians—even unarmed civilians—resist, the active shooter crumbles.{{Cite book|last=Ayoob|first=Massad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipFyuQEACAAJ|title=Straight Talk on Armed Defense: What the Experts Want You to Know|date=2017|publisher=Gun Digest Media|isbn=978-1-4402-4754-5|language=en|chapter=Chapter 9, Lone Citizen Heroes, Ron Borsch}}

Borsch's statistical analysis recommends a tactic: aggressive action. For law enforcement, the tactical imperative is to respond and engage the killer without delay{{nsmdns}}the affected orthodoxy of cumbersome team formations fails to answer the rapid temporal dynamics of active shooter events and fails to grasp the nature of the threat involved. For civilians, when necessity or obligation calls, the tactical mandate is to attack the attacker—a strategy that has proved successful across a range of incidents from Norina Bentzel (William Michael Stankewicz) in Pennsylvania and Bill Badger in Arizona (2011 Tucson shooting) to David Benke in Colorado.

Accounts of what factors lead to this type of incident vary. Some contend that the motive, at least proximately, is vengeance.{{cite web|last1=McGee |first1=J.P. |last2=DeBernardo |first2=C.R. |title=The Classroom Avenger |url=http://www.sheppardpratt.org/Documents/classavenger.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030111558/https://www.sheppardpratt.org/Documents/classavenger.pdf |archivedate=October 30, 2007 }} Others argue that bullying breeds the problem, and sometimes the active shooter is a victim of bullying, directly or indirectly.{{cite journal|last1=Vossekuil|first1=B.|last2=Fein|first2=R.|last3=Reddy|first3=M.|last4=Borum|first4=R.|last5=Modzeleski|first5=W.|title=The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative|journal=US Secret Service and US Department of Education|date=2002}} Still others such as Grossman and DeGaetano argue that the pervasiveness of violent imagery girding modern culture hosts the phenomenon.{{cite book|last1=Grossman|first1=D.|last2=DeGaetano|first2=G.|title=Stop Teaching our Kids to Kill|date=1999|publisher=Crown Publishers|location=New York}} Another suggestion is that a particular interpretation of the world, a conscious or subconscious ontology, accounts for the phenomenon.{{cite journal |last1=Modell |first1=Daniel |title=The Psychology of the Active Killer |journal=Law Enforcement Executive Forum |date=December 2013 |volume=13 |issue=4 |url=https://arestactics.com/psychology-of-active-killer |via=Ares Tactics |access-date=2021-03-11}} Proponents of this idea argue that the active shooter lives in a world of victims and victimizers, that all are one or the other. The ontology accommodates no room between the categories for benevolence, friendship or a mixture of good and bad. Their interpretation of the world may be fed by bullying or violent imagery (hence the common obsession with violent movies, books or video games), but it is the absolutist interpretation that drives them both to kill and to die.

In The Psychology of the Active Killer, Daniel Modell writes that "The world conceived by the active killer is a dark dialectic of victim and victimizer. His impoverished ontology brooks no nuance, admits no resolution. The two categories, isolated and absolute, exhaust and explain his world. And the peculiar logic driving the dialectic yields a fatal inference: in a world of victims and victimizers, success means victimization."

• Ballistic shield
• Immediate action rapid deployment
• Pseudocommando
• Running amok
• School shooting
• Spree killer
• Active shooter training

{{Portal bar|Law}}

{{Reflist}}

{{sister project links|collapsible=true|d=Q1029371|voy=no|species=no}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170724092009/http://vectorfive.us/quiz/ Active Shooter Mitigation Quiz]
• [http://www.activecontinuoustraining.com/ Active Continuous Training (ACT)]
• [https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents/ FBI releases study on active shooter incidents]
• [http://www.fullpotentialma.com/active-shooter-what-to-do-when-someone-is-shooting-at-you/ Surviving an active shooter situation—what to do when someone is shooting at you]
• [http://www.qognify.com/blog/four-ways-psim-can-help-in-active-shooter-situations/ Four Ways PSIM Can Help in Active Shooter Situations]

{{Mass shootings in the United States}}

{{School shootings in the United States}}

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Category:Law enforcement terminology

Category:Mass murder

Category:Rampages