Dogs are being trained to stop school shooters, and the video will give you chills

Despite the fact that mass shootings continue to plague the U.S., politicians continually fail to enact gun control reform. As a result, Americans are struggling to find alternative ways to stay safe. Some school districts have required students to use clear backpacks, while others have considered arming teachers with baseball bats. And some companies are even training dogs to attack gunmen. Continuum in Memphis, Tennessee, and Canine Tactical in Chariton, Iowa, are two such companies currently training canine responders. Both companies use shooting simulations to train dogs and provide demonstrations for local law enforcement.

A video tweeted by Cheddar on November 14th shows Norco, California-based company Real Deal Dog Training carrying out active shooter drills with dogs.

These companies certainly didn’t invent the concept; according to local ABC affiliate WCPO, a Cincinnati high school hired a “safety dog” as early as 2014. Additionally, police departments across the country have been using dogs for decades, so some could argue that school-safety dogs are a natural extension of the concept.

But at the end of the day, a dog cannot stop a bullet, and this is merely a (likely ineffective) bandaid to a much bigger problem. We shouldn’t be finding ways to remain safe during a shooting; we should be focusing on preventing shootings in the first place. We need common sense gun control laws, and we need them now.