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Guns and the Workplace in the United States
  • In the last decade (1994-2003), there were 164 workplace shootings in America , with a total of 290 people killed and 161 wounded
  • From 2002 to 2003, the number of workplace shootings increased from 25 to 45 and the number of victims killed in workplace shootings increased from 33 to 69
  • 51.8% of those who committed workplace shootings experienced a negative change in employment status, including 23.8% who were fired or laid off, and 28.0% who were demoted, suspended, or involved with some type of financial dispute with management
  • At least 13.4% of the cases reviewed indicated the shooter had a publicly known history of mental health concerns
  • 9.1% of the shooters displayed warning signs prior to the shootings – warning signs that were usually ignored by those who noticed them
  • 56.9% of offenders were 40 or older, and 80.3% were 30 or older
  • 91.6% of workplace shooters were male
  • At least 13.4% of the incidents reviewed involved the shooting of a current or former intimate partner
  • 31.7% of workplace shooting incidents occurred in a white collar job setting, accounting for 31.4% of all workplace shooting deaths
  • 78.5% of the guns used in workplace shootings were handguns, and 81.2% of those handguns were semiautomatics
  • 32.1% of all workplace shooters took their own life at the end of their rampage
  • 35.8% of male shooters committed suicide after killing their coworkers, compared to 7.1% of female shooters
  • Workplace shooters who committed suicide killed an average of 2.45 people and injured an average of 1.51, compared to 1.47 killed and 0.71 injured by workplace shooters who did not commit suicide
  • California and Florida were the most dangerous states when it comes to workplace shootings

Source: Handgun-Free America .Terror Nine to Five-Guns in the American Workplace, 1994-2003 (PDF document, 14 pages, 565 kb). Arlington, VA: Handgun-Free America; 2004.

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