KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The conversation around active shooters is happening more and more as these tragic events are continuing to happen around the country. The questions that rise are, what can be done? How do you prepare for something like this to make sure you, your kids, or anyone else you know will be okay?
It’s a situation no one wants to experience, but to make sure people are ready regardless, there’s someone who is working to provide the community with all they need to know. His name is Scott Johnson.
Protecting America’s people became a passion for Johnson. After spending time in the Army, he soon began his dream career with the FBI in 1998. From there, he held many positions within the organization around the country, but he landed in Knoxville and worked his way up to what he considered a newfound passion. He became the primary firearms instructor.
“My job was to teach agents how to win gun fights against multiple assailants,” Johnson said.
Soon after stepping into this role, Johnson realized that he wanted to do more. As a rise in active shooter cases was being seen across the country, Johnson knew law enforcement and the community needed access to the information he had. This especially became a reality after the 2015 Chattanooga shooting.
“One of the first interviews that I did was with two or three of the uniformed marines,” Johnson said. “I had a marine tell me, ‘sir, I’ve deployed to war zones all around the world and this is the first time that in my own workspace, I thought I was going to die,'” he said.
What decisions to make during an active shooter situation is what Johnson took to East Tennessee communities while with the FBI, and even since retiring after 24 years with the bureau, he’s still actively helping those who want to find ways to be prepared for a worst-case scenario.
“We have to continue the training whether it’s with law enforcement, who are underman and understaffed now and need this type of training, but also the civilian world out there needs to understand that there are things you can do, whether you’re armed or not, in those two or three minutes when something bad happens around you,” Johnson said.
Now he is working to keep the community he loves safe through his business, Blue Lion Tactical Solutions. It’s a security consulting and training company made up of recently retired FBI Agents.
“I just want to give people tools to put in their tool bag in case they ever need to use them,” he said. “You don’t have to be a Navy Seal or a special forces person to defend yourself and to make good decisions to save your life. Anybody can do that.”
Over the next few weeks on Living East Tennessee, Johnson will share more about what his business offers and the information you need to know about what to do in an active shooter situation. Until then, for more information on Johnson and his business, head to Blue Lion Tactical Solutions’ website.
