House advances active shooter legislation

U.S. Reps. David N. Cicilline (D-RI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) recently applauded the House of Representatives for advancing the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 (H.R.6538).

The legislation would create an AMBER Alert similar system for active shooter incidents, which could be deployed during emergency situations, such as the one that occurred in Highland Park, Ill., where the suspected shooter was at large for eight hours.

“Mass shootings have become ubiquitous – so frequent that some of these horrific events barely make headlines – but we cannot become numb to these events,” Cicilline said. “This is not the time to settle for the status quo – we need to act now to make our communities safer, and that means providing law enforcement with resources they need.”

Cicilline said during active shooter events, law enforcement officers have to engage social media to communicate with the surrounding community so that no one accidentally walks into the line of fire, a circumstance he deemed dangerous.

“Law enforcement needs and deserves better tools than Twitter to communicate with the community, and the Active Shooter Alert Act answers that call,” he said. “This will help ensure that every single Rhode Islander will be better able to keep themselves and their families safe from gun violence.”

Upton said the legislation focuses on keeping communities safe and supporting law enforcement.

“By alerting the public to an ongoing active shooter threat, we can help folks avoid the area and better enable police and first responders to focus on ending the situation and saving lives,” Upton said. “I have heard from our law enforcement and police chiefs that active shooter alerts can be a vital tool to provide accurate, real-time information to our communities, and one they believe will help in these dangerous situations.”