Seventy
people were shot dead in US workplaces last year, with staff murdering about
three senior employees per month, according to a report.
Terror Nine to Five: Guns in the American
Workplace, published by Virginia-based pressure group Handgun-Free America,
blames easy gun access, stress, erratic job markets and decreased wages.
"The
over-abundance of guns and the easy access to them make workplace incidents far
worse and more violent," states the report, which examined shootings from
1994 to 2003. Guns were used in the majority of the 290 workplace homicides.
Many
shooters had known mental-health concerns and even displayed warning signs that
were often ignored. Most were over the age of 40 and
male (91 per cent). Half of the perpetrators experienced a recent negative
change in job status – either being fired, suspended or demoted. Almost a third
occurred in white-collar settings, in companies of all sizes.
