(Originally published in Front Page Mag.)
It always breaks my heart to see these “active shooter” events that are ravaging our country. But what’s even more heartbreaking is when these monsters target children. Innocent kids that are enjoying their lives and just being kids.
And what took place in Nashville earlier this week rocked me to my core. A Christian school came under attack by a 28-year old suspect, who killed three adults and three kids before being killed by police. It’s absolutely devastating to see a school be a target for something like this.
That said, I can’t help but reflect back on Uvalde. There was an incident in which police had the power to do something – with literally hundreds of officers standing outside the school – but due to the lack of poor leadership, several children’s lives were lost.
Now, I believe the legal fallout from that incident is taking place. But if Uvalde taught us anything, it’s how the police should respond in situations such as this.
Even though several lives were lost in the active shooter incident, the Nashville police worked quickly and diligently in an effort to keep other safe and subdue the shooter before they could do further harm. In fact, body cam footage has made its way online. And although it may be a tough watch to some, it displays just how much these police worked to keep others safe while hunting the suspect and preventing the further loss of life.
Obviously, there are questions in terms of what could have been done to stop the shooter in the first place, especially since they used mapping and surveillance video from the school to their advantage. And those questions will linger for some time. But, again, I can’t help but commend the brave Nashville officers that stepped in without hesitation to put their lives in front of others, just so they could stop the shooter before any further damage was done.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen police officers step up, either. During a number of these events over the course of the year, we’ve seen them coordinate and act quickly to get others to safety while subduing the suspects. And they do so in a professional manner, instead of asking questions or meandering around like the many that were in Uvalde on that fateful day.
As police look more into the motives of the shooter and what could have prompted them to carry out such a heinous attack, my heart goes out to those friends and families that lost loved ones earlier this week. But I still find it a bit motivating that these police, as tired and worn out as they are from the countless “defund the police” attacks by hate mobs and their own governments, continue to risk everything all in the name of justice. And I hope that, with their continued effort (and perhaps a passed bill that will provide them with the funding they’ve been deserving of over the past few years), we’ll see these active shooter events dwindle in number and finally bring this country back under control.
I’m thankful that the officers in Nashville earlier this week acted so quickly in the name of safety, even as the odds were stacked against them. I do hope officers such as that continue to move forward and keep trying to make everyone safe.
Pray for Nashville and the fine officers that are serving the city. I’m proud to have InVest USA provide them with the best tactical gear possible in an effort to provide some additional safety.
Michael Letts is the Founder, President, and CEO of InVest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. He also has over 30 years of law enforcement experience under his belt, hence his pro-police stance for his brothers and sisters in blue. Visit his site at MichaelLetts.us.
