Video shows armed guards performing poorly during active shooter training

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - With kids back in school, there’s concern about the amount and type of training for armed guards working inside Tennessee schools.

That concern comes from a top firearms instructor and WSMV4 has a video that shows why he’s so worried.

It shows training at The Royal Range, a gun range in Nashville. In the video officers and armed guards are seen running down a hallway.

They entered a room where they were supposed to identify and shoot a cardboard cutout of an armed intruder. Instead, many shot cardboard cutouts of innocent bystanders, an officer, and even children.

State-certified trainer Bob Allen said there’s a big difference between P.O.S.T. certified police officers and armed guards.

At the academy, Metro officers must spend two weeks on the gun range to get a badge and then eight hours on the range annually. Armed guards get four hours of live fire training in order to get certified.

Then, they‘re required to have four hours on the range every two years to get recertified.

“If they’re not trained, versus somebody who is trained, they’re obviously more dangerous,” said Allen.

Allen expressed even more concerns.

In 2023, lawmakers passed a bill requiring “active shooter training” for anyone working as an SRO or armed guard inside a school, but those lawmakers didn’t lay out specific requirements for the class.

The only rules are that the class must be taught by a certified instructor and that it lasts eight hours. So, even though multiple armed guards missed their targets the day our camera was recording, they can still get credit from the state for getting the class done.

“The people who monitor this active shooter program should go, ‘alright y’all, starting in 2025, here are the standards. Here are the drills you’ve got to do and here’s what you’ve got to meet to get a passing qualification score to work in this environment,’” said Allen.

We wanted to ask questions about why that’s not happening. A spokesman for the Department of Commerce and Insurance that oversees program compliance denied our request for an on-camera interview.

We asked Allen, “Do you think this law gives parents a false sense of security?”

He said, “I think if we had some standards if someone went, ‘here are the standards,’ I think parents would feel a lot better.”

And when we asked Allen, “Have you seen guys in here where you’re like, ‘I’m glad they’re not working in my kid’s school?”

Allen said, “I’ve seen that. Yep, sure have.”

Most Midstate school districts, like Metro, only use certified police officers or deputies as SROs. It’s daycares, private schools and smaller districts that may be relying on armed guards.

Allen suggested parents ask questions about their armed guard’s background.

That way you have a better sense of who is in charge of keeping your child safe while at school.

Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.