Should Congress authorize an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network?
This bill will create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, which will allow for federal, state, and tribal, and local governments to work together and inform the public about active shooters. This network will coordinate a mass alert system that will alert anyone located in the area, while ensuring that the active shooter is not alerted. This bill will also appoint a designated officer in the Department of Justice to act as a national coordinator for this network, who will ensure these governments work together and set protocols to deal with an active shooter.
Sponsor: Representative David N. Cicilline (Democrat, Rhode Island, District 1)
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How do you feel?
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Opponents say
• "[The bill] moved too quickly and didn’t consider all of the impacts to a community about sending out an alert like that and what they can do to invite panic and also put burdens on our law enforcement (and) keep them from being able to do their job in an emergent situation." Source: Rep. Ashley Hinson (Republican, Iowa, District 1)
Proponents say
• "Active shooter events have become ubiquitous – so frequent that some of these horrific events barely make headlines. This is not normal, and we cannot let it be normalized. We cannot become numb to these events, and we cannot settle for the status quo. We have to give law enforcement every tool they need to neutralize these threats and keep our communities safe…Law enforcement needs and deserves better tools than Twitter to communicate with the community. The Active Shooter Alert [Act] creates an AMBER Alert-like program for active shooter events. This bill will provide law enforcement with cutting-edge technology to send notifications to our smartphones and let communities know if there is an active shooter in a certain area – so that they know to stay away." Source: Rep. David N. Cicilline (Democrat, Rhode Island, District 1)
• "As we have seen over the years, there is no place exempt from mass shootings. Whether it’s folks going to worship, kids at school, or, as we tragically saw here in 2016, a man driving an Uber right here in Kalamazoo murdered six people and wounded two more,” said Congressman Upton. “The Active Shooter Alert Act will give local authorities more tools to provide accurate real-time information to the community. I’ll continue to seek solutions by listening to local law enforcement, community leaders and our school officials. The stakes could not be higher." Source: Rep. Fred Upton (Republican, Michigan, District 6)
