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TEXARKANA -- The 10 people killed make the May 14 gun attack at an upstate New York supermarket the deadliest mass shooting to date in the U.S.

Yet, it's just one of the reported 209 mass shootings the nation has seen since the beginning of 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

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In the five days after 18-year-old Payton Gendron's alleged racist rampage at the Buffalo, New York, grocery, there were nine other mass shooting events in U.S. The Gun Violence Archive reports that those attacks killed 12 people and injured 59 others.

Closer to home, on May 12, one person was killed and four were injured when a gunman opened fire after a graduation ceremony in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Over Easter weekend a month ago, one person was killed and six others were hurt by gunfire at a pasture party north of Daingerfield, Texas.

As gun violence continues to mount across the nation, the Gazette was interested in learning what readers do to stay safe in public places. The responses vary, but there is a theme: being armed.

"I carry a Glock .26 everywhere," Jessie Morris said.

Reader Lewis Branan gave a two-prong plan for protection: "Remain vigilant; be armed. Self-preservation is the first law of nature."

The Second Amendment is a cornerstone of what Chris Loveall does to stay safe.

"Always be aware of my surroundings. I carry a concealed weapon everywhere unless it is prohibited," Loveall wrote. "I try not to frequent those places. Most mass shootings occur in places where guns are not allowed."

Daniel Sparks said while he practices concealed carry, it's not a show of bravado.

"(It's) for my family's protection. You never know what can happen one minute from the next," he wrote. "If I had only one piece of advice for those out there is to be aware of your surroundings. Don't walk with your head hung low and looking at the ground. Be aware."

The lengthiest response came from Tom Rainey, who builds his personal protection plan on being selective.

"The wife and I no longer go to places that don't allow open carry. We have also cut out establishments that are heavy on alcohol consumption. As a concealed handgun carrier, I still recognize guns and alcohol don't mix. Everyone needs to know strangers are strangers. We know nothing about them so why be around them always."

Above all, Rainey recommends that people put themselves in the safest situation possible, "even if it means cutting things out that were safe before."

"This world isn't safe," he said. "Don't be the one who was at the wrong place and wrong time. Your place to be is with your family."

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SURVIVING AN ACTIVE SHOOTING SITUATION

Sgt. Kim Weaver of the Texarkana Texas Police Department offers three suggestions on how to survive during an active shooting.

RUN. If you can escape and have an exit, escape and evacuate the premises. After you have exited and are safely away, call 911. Warn others that might try to go into the building if you see someone going that direction.

HIDE. If you can't exit the building and cannot escape, you need to hide. Try to get into a room and secure it, turn off the lights, and stay quiet. Call 911 and silence the ringer on your phone. If you can't get into a room, try to conceal yourself behind an object.

FIGHT. If you can't run or hide, fighting is the last resort if your life is in danger. Commit to what action you are going to take and act with physical aggression in an attempt to incapacitate the shooter.

"Always be aware of your environment and always have an exit plan," Weaver said.

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WITH POLL | 'The wife and I no longer go to places that don't allow open carry' - Texarkana Gazette