Active Shooters on the Radar: What Are We Doing About It?
When the opioid crisis reached epidemic levels, the response was swift and measurable. Naloxone (Narcan) flooded the market to reverse overdoses. Physician prescribing practices came under scrutiny. Monitoring programs tracked pill mills and prescription volumes. The threat was identified, and society mobilized against it.
Active shooter incidents demand the same urgency — but the response has been slower and less coordinated.
The Threat on the Radar
- 2020: 40 incidents, 164 casualties
- 2021: 61 incidents, 243 casualties
- 2022: 50 incidents, 313 casualties
- 2023: 48 incidents, 244 casualties
- 2024: 24 incidents, 106 casualties
The 2024 data shows a significant 50% decline — an encouraging trend — but even at reduced levels, dozens of people are killed and wounded each year in incidents that unfold in minutes.
"I was a police officer for 33 years. Around 2012-2013, my kids were still in school and the rise of active shooter incidents worried me."
— Bill Barna, Bolo Stick inventor
The Opioid Parallel
The opioid response succeeded because it attacked the problem at multiple levels simultaneously: treatment (Narcan), prevention (prescribing limits), enforcement (pill mill shutdowns), and education (public awareness campaigns). No single intervention solved the crisis. The layered approach did.
Active shooter prevention requires the same layered strategy:
- Detection — Behavioral threat assessment, tip lines, AI surveillance
- Deterrence — Visible security measures, controlled access, School Resource Officers
- Denial — Physical barriers that prevent entry into occupied spaces
- Response — Trained staff, lockdown protocols, law enforcement coordination
Denying Access
The "denial" layer is where door barricade devices operate. Schools, businesses, houses of worship, and government buildings are all target-rich environments with multiple entry points and populations that are difficult to evacuate quickly.
Denying the attacker access to a room full of people is the most direct way to reduce casualties. Every locked, barricaded room the shooter bypasses is a room full of people who survive.
"We needed something to actually keep them out — to buy time for police response."
— Bill Barna
The Bolo Stick door barricade was designed for exactly this function: a single steel pin drops into a floor anchor, transferring force into the building's structure and resisting over 4,200 pounds — well beyond what standard locks or door frames can handle.
Response Time Reality
Law enforcement response has improved dramatically since Columbine, where SWAT waited 47 minutes before entering. Today's Single Officer Response Technique (SORT) protocol sends the first officer in immediately.
"The tactics in virtually every law enforcement agency switched to a Single Officer Response Technique (SORT) to prevent any delay."
— Bill Barna
But even with SORT, the gap between first shots and first officer on scene is typically 4 to 11 minutes. In rural areas, it can be longer. Door barricade devices fill that gap by keeping the attacker out of secured rooms for the duration.
What You Do Matters
The threat is identified. The tools exist. The funding is available. What remains is the decision to act.
Take the next step. Browse Bolo Stick products or contact us to discuss protecting your facility.