Hospital shootings surge as screenings lag

Hospital-based shootings have skyrocketed since 2012, but a third were potentially preventable by weapons screening. JAMA says an average of 25.2 shooting occur per year, primarily in large, urban and southern U.S. hospitals. Between 2012 and 2024, shooting increased 8.4% per year, most commonly in parking lots, outdoor sites, hospital floors or the ER. The report notes that other high-volume public settings such as airports, arenas and government buildings effectively use weapons technology, adding that screening “may represent one of the most reliable opportunities to prevent firearms incidents in the hospital setting.”