Mass Shooting Resources for Mayors*
*And other locally elected and appointed leaders.
When a mass shooting takes place, it falls on our nation’s mayors to respond. After researching six cities that responded to a mass shooting, UnitedOnGuns created resources to help local leaders prepare for, and respond to, a mass shooting.
Our Resources
The Mass Shooting Protocol is a leader’s checklist for the first 24 hours after a mass shooting.
The Mass Shooting Playbook is a comprehensive resource leaders can use to prepare for, respond to, and help their community recover from a mass shooting.
The Preparedness Checklist and the Tabletop Exercise Template are tools leaders can use to plan a city's response to a mass shooting.
Executive briefings are available in partnership with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security for leaders and their professional organizations.
New
September 2024 is National Preparedness Month. The ICMA magazine Public Management has just published Sarah C. Peck's article, "Uvalde Failures Underscore the Importance of Preparedness: Ensuring your community is prepared for a mass shooting or other critical incident." A key finding is that many law enforcement agencies lack the specialized training needed to effectively respond to a mass shooting. This article summarizes the actions local leaders should take to prepare a "whole of government" response to a mass shooting, including how to ensure their law enforcement agencies are properly trained and equipped to save lives (including their own).
For more information on active violence incident training, and why it is so important to ensure your law enforcement agency has the training and equipment needed to save lives, please listen to the ICMA "Voices in Local Government" podcast series entitled, “Stop the Killing. Stop the Dying.”
More Information
For additional resources, including The Mayor's Guide to Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Funding, please visit the Key Resources tab. To organize an executive briefing for your city or organization, please contact Director Sarah C. Peck, s.peck@phai.org.
“The Playbook is required reading
for every mayor.”
— Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando FL (Pulse Shooting)
“The Playbook provided vitally
helpful direction.”
— Mayor Nancy Rotering, Highland Park IL (July Fourth Shooting)
“It isn’t if but when.
Mayors need to prepare.”
— Mayor Nan Whaley, Dayton OH (Oregon District Shooting)
“We picked up our office copy of the Playbook
on our way to the school and referred to it
throughout the response.”
— Kristin Wilson, Chief Operating Officer,
Nashville TN (Covenant School Shooting)