When Chaos Erupts in Public — You Don’t Get a Second Chance
There is no warning shot.
No perimeter.
No backup on the way — at least not when it matters most.
An active shooter doesn’t announce themselves.
They don’t wait for police.
And they don’t care where you are — a grocery store, church, mall, restaurant, school event, or parking lot.
This course puts you inside that reality.
This Is Not a Lecture.
This Is Not a Drill You Watch.
This Is You in the Problem.
The Active Shooter Force-on-Force class places students into high-stress, real-time active shooter and mass-casualty scenarios using professional-grade simulation firearms that fire composite projectiles.
These scenarios create real consequences:
• Pain penalties
• Stress and adrenaline
• Confusion and sensory overload
• Uncertainty, fear, and time pressure
You will be forced to think, move, decide, and act while chaos unfolds around you — exactly like it does in real attacks.
This is where training either holds up… or collapses.
What You’ll Experience
You will experience what it’s like to:
• Hear gunfire erupt in a public space
• Move through crowds of panicked people
• Identify the shooter among innocent civilians
• Decide when to engage — and when not to
• Move toward danger instead of away from it
• Manage fear, adrenaline, and incomplete information
• Make life-or-death decisions with no script
Mistakes are allowed here — so they don’t happen when your family is with you.
Why Force-on-Force Matters
Square-range training doesn’t prepare you for:
• Screaming victims
• Moving bystanders
• Unclear threat locations
• Stress-induced tunnel vision
• Split-second shoot / no-shoot decisions
Force-on-force exposes what actually happens under pressure.
Every scenario is followed by a detailed after-action debrief, breaking down:
• Your decisions
• Movement and positioning
• Use of cover and angles
• Communication (or lack of it)
• Tactical and legal considerations
You will walk away with a brutally honest understanding of what works — and what gets people hurt in active shooter events.
Course Focus & Scenarios
• Maine self-defense law in public and active shooter contexts
• Survival mindset under extreme stress
• Threat identification in crowded environments
• Shoot / No-Shoot decision-making with innocents present
• Movement through public spaces under threat
• Use of cover vs concealment in stores, churches, and public buildings
• Close-quarter engagements in chaotic environments
• Low-light and limited-visibility encounters
• Weapon retention during physical contact
• Solo response when no backup is available
Required Equipment
• Footwear suitable for rapid movement and dynamic environments
• Optional: Personal handheld or weapon-mounted flashlight
All safety and training equipment is provided, including:
• Protective masks with ballistic eye protection
• Groin, neck, and hand protection
• Simulation firearms
• Tactical handheld and weapon-mounted lights
• Training projectiles
This Training Is Not Comfortable — And That’s the Point
This is not entertainment.
This is not theory.
This is not something you “observe.”
This is living through the chaos of an active shooter event — so you’re not figuring it out for the first time when people are screaming, shots are being fired, and lives depend on your decisions.
If you believe:
• You are responsible for your own safety
• You may be the only capable defender present
• Your family could be with you when violence starts
Then this training matters.
Train for the moment everything goes wrong —
So you’re not unprepared when it does.
Prerequisite: This is an intermediate level class. The student needs to know and be able to demonstrate safe gun handling, weapon system familiarity, foundational marksmanship skills, and working from concealment. We strongly recommend completion of our Defensive Concealed Carry Class or Tactical Pistol Operator Class prior to registering for this course.