Do you worry about active shooter events happening at your company?

Did you know active shooter statistics can be utilized to guide active shooter mitigation actions for you and your staff?

The FBI recently published an Active Shooter Incident Report that covers all active shooter events from 2000-2019. The FBI report states, “this information is intended to assist law enforcement and the public in developing strategies to stop active shooter threats, prevent acts of violence, and prepare for, respond to, and recover from such incidents.”

Every organization should update their risk assessment, emergency response plans and train their staff in active shooter preparedness and response. 

20 Year Overview (2000-2019)

graph of active shooter events from 2000-2020, highlighting the importance of active shooter prevention eLearning.

Between 2000 – 2019 there were over 333 active shooter incidents in 43 states and the District of Columbia, with a total of 2,851 casualties: 1062 killed and 1789 wounded. The large majority of the casualties were civilians.

This shows that active shooters aim to hurt as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, without necessarily selecting specific victims. These mass murder events are characterized by their rapidity, scale, and randomness.

Active Shooter Events by Year

Since 2012, the number of active shooter events each year remained high, with an average of 20 a year. From 2017-2019, it increased to an average of 30 per year.

Active shooter events are increasing, which means your overall risk is potentially increasing. Don’t think it won’t happen to you. Preparedness training greatly enhances the chances of your and your employees’ survival if you are unlucky enough to have an active shooter event take place at your company.

Active Shooter Outcomes

The most common outcomes for active shooters are: being apprehended by police, committing suicide, or being killed by police. Of 345 shooters reported, 150 were apprehended, 119 committed suicide and 67 were killed.

Since most active shooters were apprehended by police, this fact supports the coordinated tactical response of law enforcement and the need to train employees how to react when law enforcement arrives. Civilians should be trained to remain calm, put down any items in their hands, raise hands and spread fingers and follow the orders of law enforcement. 

These statistics also give us a glimpse into the psychology of an active shooter. Many don’t plan to survive, so they commit suicide before or after the police arrive to escape the consequences of their actions.

Majority Locations of Shootings

  • Businesses open to public traffic: 96 incidents, 754 casualties
    • Includes small and large retail locations, bars, offices, and restaurants.
  • Businesses closed to public traffic: 41 incidents, 236 casualties
    • Includes manufacturing and distribution locations and warehouses.
  • Schools: 62 incidents and 419 casualties
    • Includes pre-K-12, higher education, and school board meetings.
  • Houses of Worship: 15 incidents, 147 casualties
  • Open spaces: 50 incidents, 895 casualties
    • Consists of any location openly accessible to the public that is not indoors.

Active shooters target crowded areas like retail locations, offices, and houses of worship, or spaces they know well, like their work or school. Particularly at risk, according to the report, are businesses that are both open and closed to the public, schools, houses of worship, and open spaces. If you are in any of these industries, it’s important to implement an active shooter response plan and to train your employees or congregants.

Active shooter prevention eLearning created by industry experts

Did you know these important takeaways are already in TPOP’s training?

Choose active shooter prevention e-Learning created by security experts, law enforcement, and former FBI agents who have experienced and can attest to the impact of these statistics firsthand.

Prepare yourself and your employees with our “Think and Survive” course that teaches the behavioral indicators of violence, situational awareness, verbal de-escalation techniques, and the principles of Run, Hide, Fight. Customize your training to fit your industry and provide a personalized introduction to your staff.

Take steps to prevent an active shooter event from occurring at your workplace. Contact us today.