Thought my work was having an active shooter situation this morning

I work at a large church. My office is in behind the main sanctuary with about 8-10 other people, pastors, bookkeepers, etc.Today contractors were scheduled to come in to do some work, and that work involved using Hilti guns or something similar. Something the office staff, including me, weren't aware of ahead of time.Well all I heard was something that sounded like gunfire going off in the sanctuary. I leaped to my feet and ran out of my office to the door to the sanctuary to look through a peep hole and try to assess what was going on out there.Meanwhile everyone in the office was just doing their normal thing.So after figuring out what it was, I asked a few of them "didn't that sound like gun fire to you? Well after thinking about it, they were all like "Yes, actually it does. I guess I didn't think it could ever be that." And now I wonder if I was stupid even running to the door (it's metal at least).It's frightening. People have no situational awareness. In every active shooting event I always hear people interviewed saying "I heard the pops but didn't think it was gun fire."If that was an active shooter today, the people in the office area would have had time to run out the exit door to safety. If they had just ignored it and waited until the shooter got into the office area, it would be too late by then. People need to learn to act BEFORE they see bodies falling around them.The other frustrating thing is -- I don't even have my firearm with me. My home state (Delaware) puts us through a long complicated process to even apply. I finally got that done and now am in what they say is up to a six month waiting period to see if they "may" issue it (although thankfully Delaware is a bit more liberal in handing them out than some neighboring states). When I get it though, I will be carrying. I've at least got "don't ask don't tell" permission from the main pastor. He supports it but can't know about it for insurance reasons apparently.It's also a vulnerable feeling not having my firearm with me. I carry when I'm in Virginia (where I spend a lot of time) so I've gotten used to it -- but until I can do so in my own home state, it just feels like driving around without my seatbelt on. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2CmGNUR