Unfortunately, the makings of an active shooter situation arise almost every day. Just weeks ago, for example, a 16-year-old student from Dysart High School of El Mirage, Ariz., was arrested for carrying a loaded .25-caliber handgun to school and for making threats to a 14-year-old student, according to a report from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff was alerted after the 14-year-old’s mother told deputies her son was threatened at the school bus stop earlier that morning by the 16-year-old suspect. The suspect showed the victim a gun and said he was going to kill him.

While a potential tragedy was averted, others elsewhere were not as lucky.

The senseless attack at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook elementary school on December 14, 2012, that killed 20 children and 6 adults, serves as yet another reminder that we still have much work to do in order to secure our school campuses, movie theaters and other facilities such as hospitals, malls, warehouses and office buildings, according to security advisor Patrick Fiel.

He suggests school security personnel, “work with a security expert, in conjunction with local law enforcement, to complete a thorough risk assessment of all schools and facilities. The results of these assessments will be the initial phase to develop a course of action and a plan to secure schools, buildings and facilities.”