A security system for identifying a disturbance in a room of a building, the system comprising: a camera and monitor in each room of the building that is usually occupied by individuals, with the camera normally being inactive while being positioned and located to record and transmit viewing of a substantial portion or all of the room when the camera is activated, with the camera able to record both sights and sounds occurring in the room only when activated, and with the monitor engageable to receive transmissions from one or more cameras of other occupied rooms; a storage compartment for a weapon located in one or all of the occupied rooms, the storage compartment is in electronic association with at least two manual activation mechanisms (106,107), a first one associated with activation of the system for a non-emergency situation and a second one associated with activation of the system for an emergency situation, wherein each manual activation mechanism (106,107) is located in the same room as the storage compartment; wherein the first activation mechanism is manually activatable by an authorized individual who is present in the room to indicate a non-emergency disturbance and, when engaged, is adapted to activate the camera in the room so that events occurring in the room during the disturbance are recorded; and wherein the second activation mechanism is manually activatable by the authorized individual who is present in the room to indicate an emergency situation in the room and, when sequentially or simultaneously engaged after or when the first activation mechanism is engaged, is adapted to activate the camera, open the storage compartment to provide access to the weapon therein and generate an alarm that indicates that an emergency situation exists in the room, wherein the camera is adapted to, only when activated by the second activation mechanism, allow video and audio of the events in the room to be simultaneously recorded and transmitted to the monitors of at least adjacent or nearby rooms to provide the occupants of those rooms with information regarding the emergency situation and the room in which the situation is occurring. a camera and monitor in each room of the building that is usually occupied by individuals, with the camera normally being inactive while being positioned and located to record and transmit viewing of a substantial portion or all of the room when the camera is activated, with the camera able to record both sights and sounds occurring in the room only when activated, and with the monitor engageable to receive transmissions from one or more cameras of other occupied rooms; a storage compartment for a weapon located in one or all of the occupied rooms, the storage compartment is in electronic association with at least two manual activation mechanisms (106,107), a first one associated with activation of the system for a non-emergency situation and a second one associated with activation of the system for an emergency situation, wherein each manual activation mechanism (106,107) is located in the same room as the storage compartment; wherein the first activation mechanism is manually activatable by an authorized individual who is present in the room to indicate a non-emergency disturbance and, when engaged, is adapted to activate the camera in the room so that events occurring in the room during the disturbance are recorded; and wherein the second activation mechanism is manually activatable by the authorized individual who is present in the room to indicate an emergency situation in the room and, when sequentially or simultaneously engaged after or when the first activation mechanism is engaged, is adapted to activate the camera, open the storage compartment to provide access to the weapon therein and generate an alarm that indicates that an emergency situation exists in the room, wherein the camera is adapted to, only when activated by the second activation mechanism, allow video and audio of the events in the room to be simultaneously recorded and transmitted to the monitors of at least adjacent or nearby rooms to provide the occupants of those rooms with information regarding the emergency situation and the room in which the situation is occurring.