A Message From Our CEO Regarding Gun Violence

Since the beginning of the year, I have watched in horror as the United States has experienced over 240 mass shootings. On May 14, 2022, 10 people were killed in a racist attack in Buffalo, New York. Ten days later, 19 children and 2 adults were gunned down in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy at Uvalde is the 27th shooting at a K-12 school in 2022. Just writing this now makes my heart ache.

Like everyone, we send our deepest thoughts and prayers to those affected in New York, Texas, and the rest of the country that have suffered from these horrible events. But we can’t stop there.

Gun violence and mass shootings like this only happen in the United States. This is not normal. No one should accept or tolerate it. Things need to change.

As we have seen this play out before, our leaders will show sympathy, offer their prayers, give a few speeches, and then THEY WILL DO NOTHING THAT MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE. We should not have to teach children how to run, hide, and fight to protect themselves from active shooter events. Nor should anyone fear the possibility of being part of an active shooter event any time they leave their home. But the reality is that we do have to prepare ourselves and our children, we need to take notice of individuals in our lives who may need intervention, and we need to require safer, more responsible gun ownership practices. Together, we need to drive change in our communities.

At 360training, our mission is to provide training that enables a safe, healthy environment. We will not wait until legislation passes to make this country safer for everybody, especially since our leaders have proven they don’t have the courage to do the right thing. 360training cannot change gun safety requirements, but we can offer active shooter training to the public and children free of charge.

Therefore, 360training is expediting the development of two new online active shooter preparedness training courses for children and the general public. These courses will be 100% FREE.

As additional information becomes available, we will share those details with you.

We will also continue to offer our Active Shooter-Workplace Violence course for employers and organizations to prepare themselves and their employees to respond to a situation if it arises.

I encourage each of you to demand that your representatives work to improve gun safety. They will not take meaningful action unless we use our voices and our voting power to remove them from office if they don’t. The facts are clear:

• The United States has the laxest gun safety rules of any country. In 2018, there were a recorded 121 firearms per 100 people. The second highest country is Yemen, a country in the middle of a civil war, with 55 per 100 people. It is not a coincidence that we have the most guns, the fewest safety requirements, and the most shootings.
• There is also incredibly clear, statistically significant evidence that shows that the number of guns in a country directly correlates with killings. There is no evidence showing that more guns provide any safety benefits to society. The United States has a gun problem, but guns are by no means going away.

The only answer is to implement the most thoughtful safety rules to help lower the risk of all those guns. Contact the representatives in New York State Government, Texas State Legislature, United States Senate, the House of Representatives, or your own state to demand action.

I am not an expert on gun policy, but obvious options are available to make us all safer and preserve our Second Amendment rights. Any or all of the following safety measures would help without imposing a significant burden on citizens.

1. Anyone who owns or operates a gun must be licensed and pass a safety course and test.
2. All guns must be registered.
3. Anyone who owns or operates a gun must pass a background check without exception.
4. Magazines larger than a certain size should be banned as no citizen needs a large magazine that can injure or kill several people quickly.
5. Implement Red Flag laws, with appropriate due process, that allows for the temporary or permanent loss of license and the right to own or use a gun.
6. Standardize and enforce a brief waiting period before a gun can be purchased.
7. Support adequate funding for the enforcement of existing gun laws.

It’s time for action, and that will only happen if we come together and demand it.

As you contemplate the past few months and the community you live in, please consider how you too can create change. Everyone deserves to feel safe.

Take care of each other,

Tom Anderson