Do Active Shooter Drills Help? Two Asian Nations Grapple With Gun Violence.

What the report says

The New York Times World reports that Thailand and the Philippines are responding differently to school-shooting fears and active shooter drills, a practice long common in the United States. The article focuses on how both Asian countries are grappling with gun violence after shootings at schools, and how officials and communities are weighing whether such drills are useful or appropriate in their own settings.

According to the report, the two countries have taken separate approaches to preparing students and schools for the possibility of an armed attack. The piece places those choices in the context of wider concern about school safety and the spread of emergency preparedness measures beyond the U.S. It suggests that local responses are shaped by each country’s own experience with gun violence, school policies, and public attitudes toward security measures.

The article matters because active-shooter drills are not just a classroom exercise; they reflect how governments and educators think about risk, prevention, and child safety. In the background, the U.S. has long used lockdown and active-shooter training in schools, while other countries have been more cautious about adopting the same model. The Times frames Thailand and the Philippines as case studies in whether that approach can, or should, be transferred elsewhere.