While the COVID-19 pandemic may have superseded active shooter events and mass shootings in the media, gun violence has certainly not gone away.

To prevent active shooter events, law enforcement organizations currently rely on technology like walk-through or handheld magnetometers, which detect changes in local magnetic fields. Video surveillance systems are increasingly deployed to address the challenges associated with firearm incidents.

Newly introduced AI-powered visual gun detection solutions use existing video surveillance systems to reliably and rapidly recognize firearms and immediately trigger multi-channel alerts and automated pre-defined safety protocols. They enable always-on monitoring and can work both inside or outside a building and with large groups of people, such as what we saw when the rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Taking it one step further, this solution ties gun detection technology to building lockdown technology. If a weapon is detected, it can automatically trigger a lockdown (after verification from appointed personnel), prevent an active shooter situation and ultimately save lives.

Existing gunshot detection technologies only work after incidents have escalated and provide vague details on the approximate location of the sound. In comparison, visual gun detection gives emergency response teams advance warning before shots are fired, and delivers precise information on the location and visuals of the potential shooter.

AI-powered software that integrates with existing security systems, such video surveillance cameras, will begin to see greater adoption by organizations, schools, and public law enforcement officials in an effort to proactively protect their people, according to securitymagazine.com.