Recently, the FBI released a report reviewing 20 years of active shooter incidents in the United States. An active shooter incident, as defined by the FBI, is “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area, using one or more firearms, in a situation that is ongoing in nature with the potential for the response to affect the outcome.” Using this definition, the FBI chose 333 active shooter incidents since the year 2000 to investigate.
This data is deeply saddening, as 2,851 individuals lost their lives during the shootings. Additionally, 135 of the incidents are considered “mass killings,” meaning that 3 or more individuals were killed during the shooting. It is the sad truth that almost every time we turn on the television or look at the news, there is a headline of mass shootings involving multiple victims where the suspect had access to firearms despite emotional or mental health issues.
Over the past 20 years, the number of incidents has been steadily increasing. In the years prior to 2010, there were less than 20 active shooter incidents annually, with many years having less than 15 incidents. This number has increased to 31 active shooter incidents in 2017, 30 in 2018, and 30 in 2019 which was the most recent year of data reviewed by the FBI.
Where these active shooter incidents take place is just as shocking as the data on the numbers:
- 29% of the shootings occurred in businesses who allow traffic from pedestrians
- 15% occurred in open spaces
- 12% in businesses closed to pedestrian traffic with most occurring in manufacturing and distribution plants
Additionally, 15 incidents were in healthcare facilities and 13% were in schools housing grades K-12.
Other trends the FBI identified include that handguns are the most common weapon used in active shootings and the majority of active shooters are males.
Businesses must always be prepared for the event that an active shooter may enter the premises. As the data from the FBI shows, 41% of active shooter incidents occur in businesses. Proper training for handling an active shooter situation should be provided at all businesses for both management and employees to ensure the highest level of safety and preparedness.
The numbers above only represent active shooter incidents that were deeply looked at by the FBI for this report. Total numbers of mass shootings are much higher, with 2,664 mass shootings in the United States since 2014. Just in the year 2020, there were 578 mass shootings, which is an increase from the previous years.
At Evans Brothers Consulting, we can provide your employees with the best knowledge and procedures for handling an active shooter situation. These trainings take place over a few hours or days (depending on company size), and will ensure your business has the proper guidance for combating an active shooter situation.
Hear from the experts as to what steps need to be taken in those initial critical moments of an active shooter. This information could make a life or death difference for you and your employees.
Take initiative today and contact info@evansbrothersconsulting.com or call 617-545-1500 to set up a short, no-cost, preliminary discussion.
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