Boise (670 KBOI News) – Witnesses to the mass shooting overnight at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California say they thought their town was a safe haven from the violence of the nearby LA area.

But less than two weeks after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a man shot and killed at least 12 people at a country bar in Thousand Oaks.

NRA firearms trainer Rick Ector tells 670 KBOI News the “can’t happen here” mindset is dangerous.

“It’s really the time now where we have to take on a more active role in our personal protection,” said Ector.  “It doesn’t have to be anything that would disrupt your normal routine.  The simplest thing that one can do is at least acknowledge that it can happen, and if it does, what are we going to do?”

The killer used a Glock 21 .45 caliber pistol in the shooting, which is legal in California.

But the Ventura County Sheriff says he used an extended magazine in the pistol, which is not legal.