After Florida high school shooting, schools across America are worrying about their campus’s safety, and how much protection is needed.

Gun control continues to become a major controversy in the country, debating how much restrictions are needed. Extra precautions are being considered such as: reduce access to firearms, higher security screening, more intensive background checks/medical records, or teachers baring arms. Still, these suggestions violate certain areas and remain controversial. However, students and parents want to know what precautions are being taken now at Spring Hill College to prevent school shootings. 

Head of the Public Safety Department, Todd Warren has been at Spring Hill for six and half years, and truly believes his department is ready for anything. Warren explains that on the police end, they all are trained in active shooter response, and many officers have tons of experience. If there ever was a mass shooting, Warren says, “an officer will go in immediately, and won’t wait for back up. The officers are trained to go directly after the threat, while the Mobile Police Department will follow in behind.” However, Warren does want to improve upon educating the students, faculty and staff about what do in a crisis. He wants to teach students basic tactics: how to barricade doors, run/hide, and working together that can help take down a mass shooter. In the future, Warren would like to hold a preventative exercise regarding school shootings specifically for the student center and the library 

However, students at Spring Hill can carry guns. For example, Tom Burcham has been with the ROTC program for three years, and possesses his own personal guns. The ROTC trains students in the field of combat to where they can qualify for certain platforms such as an M4 or M16. Even if students are qualified to own these gun, Spring Hill is taking extra precautions. Burcham explains, “all students who carry guns must check in their guns through public safety. Pub safe will write down your serial number, and then proceed to lock the gun in a safe.” If students wish to retrieve their guns, all they have to do is call pub safe. However, pub safe prefers gun owners to have a personal case with a lock to conceal the gun when carrying it around.

Once again, Spring Hill’s Public Safety Department will keep an eye out for any suspicious activity on campus. Students can help by reporting any skeptical activity to pub safe to ensure protection for themselves and the campus.