Gun crime in the U.S. continues to make headlines around the world, with regular stories of shooting in public places connected with the nation’s liberal attitude to gun ownership. The concentration of mass shootings in the U.S. (with mass shooting generally defined as the killing of four or more people), is explored in a recent study, which found that nearly one-third of the world’s public mass shootings between 1966 and 2012 (90 of 292 incidents) occurred in the U.S. Expanding on this research, with a look into 2019, data provided by Mother Jones displays each mass shooting case between 1982-2019.
One reason why businesses feel threatened by the possibility of a shooting incident is due to recession. In this context, a poll of corporate CFOs found that 82 percent were expecting a recession, and increased layoffs by the end of 2020. While cybersecurity risks remain the number one business thereat, for many in business the threat of shootings by disgruntled employees stands as a real possibility. The threat of shootings was cited int he survey as the number one physical threat identified in the survey and number three on the list overall.
The concern by business executives about shootings comes from a survey conduced by Securitas USA (who operate in the protective services market). The company surveyed company executives from Fortune 1000 companies and published a report — “Top Security Threats and Management Issues Facing Corporate America.”
The threat from active shooters was first identified as a concern among security
directors in Securitas’ 2016 survey. However, prior to this, the issue did not feature and it was not considered to be a significant threat by survey respondents from any business sector.
Another headline from the report indicates that more than 75 percent of the top threats identified by business leaders may be carried out by company insiders. Due to enhanced concerns, the survey also found that businesses are placing greater emphasis upon internal security. In terms of organizational structure, many security leaders now reporting directly to the CEO or company president has increased by 40 percent.
The top threats that businesses are concerned with are:
Cyber/Communications Security: Internet/Intranet Security.
Workplace Violence Prevention/Response.
Active Shooter Threats.
Business Continuity Planning/Organizational Resilience.
Cyber/Communications Security: Mobile Security.
In terms of other physical threats, with shooting placed at number one, comes risks of physical violence, again by disgruntled current or former employees.
