LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Right here in Little Rock, the two recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton are causing reactions ranging from sadness to panic.
Arkansans said they are deeply concerned about what they feel it says about the state of our union.
Tierra Bohanan said these recent tragedies are "outrageous."
"My first instinct was just like, 'wow, like, two in 24 hours that's just insane.' It really is," she said.
The part worrying Bohanan the most is the feeling that it can happen anywhere at any time. These tragedies leaving some fearful no matter where they go.
"It does because it can happen to anybody. You can walk into church tomorrow and someone can shoot up a church. We've had that happen here in the United States," Bohanan said.
For others, like Cassie Perry, the mass shootings are raising a lot of questions.
"There's a lot of things going through my mind, as far as, where are we now in today's society?" she said.
Perry works in security and believes more can be done regarding surveillance.
"With what I experience with being a security guard they need to be more firm with their security guards. Put more actions behind it, more authority out there," she said.
Sherwood Police Sgt. Tyler Gaunt said statistically mass shootings are very rare, but the unpredictability makes it difficult.
"It can happen everywhere and that's, unfortunately, the society we live in these days," he said.
Gaunt has been on Sherwood's SWAT team for 7 years now and said they train for active shooters at least once a month.
"It's a necessary evil but we have to be prepared for it," he said.
No matter when or where, officers always have their gear and equipment ready to respond.
For community members though, there is still a sense of uneasiness.
"It's just like, 'oh my gosh, I don't know what to do to keep myself safe,'" Bohanan said.
Perry describing the world now as "chaotic" and how change is necessary.
"Coming together as a community and as one whole body saying, 'what can we do to stop all of this?'" she said.
Sgt. Gaunt said even though mass shootings are unpredictable, there are three kinds of action you can take if you ever find yourself in this type of emergency.
The best thing to do, if possible, is run— as far as you can, whether other people are doing it or not.
If you can't run, Plan B is to hide and barricade yourself, then keep yourself, and your phone, silent.
Finally, the last resort if your life is in danger, is to fight back with whatever objects you can find.