Active shooter and assailant attacks are a real and present threat. According to the Gun Violence Archive*, there were 365 mass shootings in 2016 in the US alone.

In addition, an FBI study into active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2013**, produced the following statistics: 

• An average of 11.4 incidents occurred annually during this period
• An average of 6.4 incidents occurred in the first seven years studied, and an average of 16.4 occurred in the last seven years
• 70% of the incidents occurred in either a commerce/business or educational environment
• Shootings occurred in 40 of 50 states and the District of Columbia
• 60% of the incidents ended before police arrived

While most organisations cannot predict if and when they might be affected by an attack, either directly or indirectly, they can take steps to protect their business and personnel if the worse was to happen.

Active shooter and assailant attacks are about survival, both of people and of businesses.

Most exposed sectors

Active shooter and assailant attacks can occur in all types of businesses and organisations; however those exposed to the general public are most at risk, such as:

• Amusement parks and leisure attractions
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Hotels and hospitality
• Houses of worship
• Iconic sites and tourist attractions
• Municipal locations
• Museums
• Retailers and shopping malls
• Transport hubs
• Universities and schools

Matching exposures to risk transfer

As a result of these growing threats, the insurance market has responded by offering a plethora of options to cover the breadth of exposures organisations face. These include:

• Active shooter liability
• Active assailant physical damage
• Loss of attraction/denial of access
• Threat of a malicious act

However, the markets are not cohesive and variances are evident with examples including definitions of qualifying events, limits offered and inclusion of designated crisis management and response services. This can make policy selection difficult as no one policy fits all.

Next steps

This is a developing risk environment which requires education, but also presents a wealth of opportunities for our intermediary clients in particular.

We have adopted a triage approach, helping our intermediary representatives and their insureds to understand and navigate the risk transfer options and secure the best suited coverage for their needs.

We strongly encourage you to contact David  if you would like to find out more about active shooter coverage.

* http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
** Blair, J. Pete, and Schweit, Katherine W. (2014). A Study of Active Shooter Incidents, 2000 - 2013.
Texas State University and Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C. 2014.