As we have recently heard, a gunman attacked a Madden gaming tournament held in a Jacksonville, Florida bar yesterday. Two were killed and several more wounded before the gunman killed himself.
This event is a heartwrenching and sobering reminder that while the odds of dying in a mass shooting remain statistically very low, it can happen anywhere people gather, and the game events libraries put on are no exception. Training is available for library staff to help learn what to do in the event of an active shooter, and staff running programs should take advantage of it, so as to minimize tragedies if and when they happen.
Our hearts go out to the wounded and to the families of the dead.