Gun Safe?

Not so much...

If you keep a handgun at home in a small gun safe please have a look at the videos in this disturbing report at the Wired Threat Level blog titled Kids Can Open Gun Safes With Straws and Paper Clips, Researchers Say by Kim Zetter.

Seriously, watch it today.

UPDATED TO ADD: Another excellent in-depth article, Unsafe Gun Safes Can Be Opened By A Three-Year Old, by Marc Weber Tobias in Forbes. 

A Workplace Violence, Mass Murder, and Active Shooter Bibliography

This list does not contain every on-line public resource on these topics, but it contains many of the better ones...

A wise man recently reminded me that

 

Data are discrete facts and observations, information is organized data, knowledge is information-in-context, wisdom is knowledge effectively applied to solve problems.

As you may know I'm a big fan of data.  You may also know I have strong feelings about workplace violence and how it is approached by the security industry.  I strive to use the our publicly available knowledge base - information-in-context - to extinguish unreasonable fear on the part of employers and clients and to enlighten (embarrassingly) unreasoning security practitioners.

What follows are resources I've linked to in my myriad posts on workplace violence and its prevention and a few others I've found more recently.  I am not including all news articles I’ve referred to in the past as I do not want to present poor examples out of context.  If you wish to read my posts on the subject enter the phrase workplace violence in the search box and they’ll be listed for you.

A Circle of Distortion: The Social Construction of Mass Murder in the United States by Grant Duwe http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v6n1/manuscripts/duwe.pdf

Active Shooter: How To Respond http://www.alerts.si.edu/docs/DHS_ActiveShooterBook.pdf  

Active Shooter: Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation http://www.nypdshield.org/public/SiteFiles/documents/ActiveShooter.pdf 

ASIS International Active Shooter Resource page http://www.asisonline.org/education/activeShooter.xml

ASIS/SHRM Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Standard http://www.abdi-secure-ecommerce.com/asis/ps-1092-30-1967.aspx 

Current Intelligence Bulletin #57: Violence in the Workplace: Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/96-100/ 

Duhart, Detis. "Violence in the Workplace, 1993-99." December, 2001. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/vw99.pdf

Effectiveness of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in Reducing Robberies, by Carri Casteel, MPH, Corinne Peek-Asa, PhD http://www.usak.org.tr/istanbul/files/cr.pr.environmental.design.pdf 

Effectiveness of Safety Measures Recommended for Prevention of Workplace Homicide, by Dana Loomis, PhD; Stephen W. Marshall, PhD; Susanne H. Wolf, RN, MPH; Carol W. Runyan, PhD; John D. Butts, MD http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=194680 

Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Workplace Violence Incidents CPL 02-01-052 http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02-01-052.pdf 

Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1980-1995 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2001-129/pdfs/2001-129.pdf

Fatal Injuries to Workers in the United States 1980-1989, A Decade of Surveillance (National Profile) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/93-108/pdfs/93-108.pdf 

Fatal Injuries to Workers in the United States 1980-1989, A Decade of Surveillance (National and State Profiles) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/93-108/pdfs/93-108.pdf 

Fatal occupational injuries by industry and event or exposure, All United States, 2009 http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0241.pdf   

FEMA EMI IS-907 - Active Shooter:  What You Can Do http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is907.asp 

Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Service Workers http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3148.pdf

Homicide on the Job: Workplace and Community Determinants http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/154/5/410.full.pdf 

Mass Murder, by Dr. Tom O'Connor, Associate Professor, Criminal Justice/Homeland Security Director, Institute for Global Security, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. http://www.drtomoconnor.com/4050/4050lect07.htm  

NIOSH workplace violence page http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/  

Number and percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by event or exposure leading to injury or illness and number of days away from work, private industry, 2009 http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb2516.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb2516.pdf 

Occupational homicides by selected characteristics, 1997-2010 http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/work_hom.pdf

Occupational Suicides: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Fact Sheet, August 2009 http://bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/osar0010.pdf 

O'Neil, David. "Non-Fatal Workplace Violence: An Epidemiological Report and Empirical Exploration of Risk Factors." April 2003. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/199359.pdf 

OSHA Workplace Violence page http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/  

Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments - OSHA Publication 3153 http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3153.pdf

Revisions to the 2009 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) counts http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_revised09.pdf 

Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving an active shooter event, prepared by Ready Houston? (In English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese) http://www.readyhoustontx.gov/runhidefightenglish.html 

Summary of Research on Mass Murder by John Klofas http://www.rit.edu/cla/cpsi/WorkingPapers/2009/2009-11.pdf

Ten Tips to Mitigate Workplace Violence and Threats, by Felix P. Nater http://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/83329-10-tips-to-mitigate-workplace-violence-and-threats 

The Psychology of Security, by Bruce Schneier http://www.schneier.com/essay-155.html 

The Workplace Violence Prevention eReport http://www.workplaceviolence911.com/preventionreport 

Toscano, Guy and William Weber. "Violence in the Workplace." Compensation and Working Conditions, April 1995, 1-8. http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfar0005.pdf  

U.S. BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) 2009 Chart Pack http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0008.pdf 

U.S. BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) 2010 Chart Pack http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0009.pdf 

U.S. BLS Fatal occupational injuries by selected characteristics: State of incident, employee status, sex, age, race, event or exposure, source, secondary source, nature, part of body, worker activity, location, occupation, and industry, 1992-2002 (revised final counts)  http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0186.pdf 

U.S. BLS Table 4, Number, incidence rate, and median days away from work for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected detailed occupation and private industry, state government, and local government, 2010 http://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh2.t04.htm 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Violence in the Workplace Comes Under Closer Scrutiny." Issues in Labor Statistics. Summary 94-10, August 1994. http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/ossm0006.pdf  

Violence in the Workplace by Tanya Restrepo and Harry Shuford https://www.ncci.com/documents/Workplace_Research.pdf

When Prevention Fails: Minimizing the Post-Incident Impact of Workplace Violence http://www.businessinsurance.com/section/NEWS050106 

Workplace violence intervention effectiveness: A systematic literature review, by James T. Wassell http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092575350800218X 

Workplace Violence Prevention: Readiness and Response, by Stephen J. Romano, Micòl E. Levi-Minzi, Eugene A. Rugala, and Vincent B. Van Hasselt http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcementbulletin/january2011/workplace_violence_prevention 

Workplace Violence, 1993-2009 National Crime Victimization Survey and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wv09.pdf

Workplace Violence: Issues in Response, Edited by Eugene A. Rugala and Arnold R. Isaacs http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/workplace-violence 

Work-related Homicides: The Facts by Eric Sygnatur and Guy Toscano http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/archive/spring2000art1.pdf

Work-related multiple-fatality incidents, by Dino Drudi and Mark Zak http://www.bls.gov/mlr/2004/10/art2full.pdf 

Image Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vista_de_la_Biblioteca_Vasconcelos.jpg

Measured Voices

And rational analysis are needed...

Hidden in the chaff of lurid headlines, breathless reporting, and endless screen bottom scrolls are some people who are taking a measured and rational look at the tragedy in Colorado.  It's causes are complex, the details still murky, and the solutions unclear but these folks are using their indoor voices and have taken the time to scratch beneath the surface.

After the shooting: Politicians have responsibility to lead talks about firearms and the unstable by The Anniston Star Editorial Board

Aurora Police Trained for Major Shooting Spree, by Robert Beckhusen

'Dark Knight' Shooting: Mass Murder Up, Even While Gun Violence Down by Ron Dicker at Huff Post.  Actually, mass murder is holding steady but at least he provides some of the statistics.

Don’t Jump to Conclusions About the Killer By Dave Cullen at the New York Times

Going Postal, Pre-Pistol: How did mass murderers operate before the advent of modern weapons?, by Brian Palmer

Gun control or carry permits won't stop mass murder By James Alan Fox, the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University in Boston and co-author of "Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder." He writes the Crime and Punishment blog for the Boston Globe.

Is Cinema Security Changed Forever? by Jared Shelly

Mass Killings Don’t Make Good Gun Control Examples at RangelMD

Mass murders defy falling homicide rate, by by Joel Achenbach

Mass public killings under 1% of all murders, by Charles Lewis

No increase in mass shootings, by James Allen Fox

Reassessing cinema security in the wake of Colorado's movie theater massacre by Whit Richardson at Security Director News

Red flags missed in mass shootings, by Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel

The Fear Factor, by Mark Ragins

Viral Violence: Do violent attacks occur in clusters? By Katy Waldman at Slate

Warning behaviors sought to stop killings, by Bob Ortega of The Republic | azcentral.com 

Warning signs of violence: What to do, by Dr. Charles Raison

We’ve Seen This Movie Before By Roger Ebert

What Bank Robberies Can Teach Scared Moviegoers, by Nick Catrantzos

Several resources were not written in response to the Aurora shootings but provide useful background, assistance, statistics, or perspective.

10 Tips to Mitigate Workplace Violence and Threats By Felix P. Nater for Security magazine.  Felix has been one of the go to guys on this issue since the beginning.

A Circle of Distortion: The Social Construction of Mass Murder in the United States by Grant Duwe, the director of research and evaluation for the Minnesota Department of Corrections

Active Shooter Resources from ASIS International

Mass Murder in the United States by Grant Duwe.  Awesome book!  If you would have an opinion on this topic you should read it.

Most Americans Believe Crime in U.S. Is Worsening by Gallup

Opinion: The Rise and Decline of Mass Shootings by Grant Duwe for AOLNews

Summary of Research on Mass Murder by John Klofas at the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, Rochester Institute of Technology

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff

Don't Confuse Me With Facts

My mind is made up...

There is a well-known hazard in attempting to change another person's strongly held belief.  If you fail they leave the exchange with their belief not weakened, but reinforced.  It's called The Backfire Effect.  Here's a telling example from a brief on-line dialogue I had with a fellow security practitioner in the context of the Aurora Colorado shootings.

People need to take the rose colored glasses off and understand we live in a dangerous world now, it is not the place it used to be, things like this will happen to anyone at anytime.

You're not alone in this opinion, but what makes you say so? The violent crime rate in America is at a 40 year low and continues to decline. We haven't been safer in our lifetimes.

Okay, the stats may say so, but I don't think the victims will agree with them, violent crime may be down, but the victim rates as to how many at each incident goes up each time, so where is the trade off?

Historically, the rate of mass murder events has been around 20 a year since the last century. Total fatalities likewise have held at around 160 per year. What's more, a significant fraction (~1/3) of mass murders are "family annihilations" perpetrated by parents. Mass murder is rare and no amount of denial will make it common.

I am not denying anything, the fact is that what ever the stats say it does not help the victims and is a threat that should be looked at, simple prevention is worth it when saving a life. So you have your opinion and I mine, we can leave it at that. I don't think we are safer now than 30 years ago no matter what a bunch of stats say, reality says different, so we are now done with the argument. 

Case closed.  Opportunity lost.  Oops.

Fear, grief, and rage: 1, Facts: 0

UPDATED TO ADD: Rather than create another post on the topic of Aurora (I really do need to get a life) I'll add a sentence or two from some recent correspondence and blog posts:

By attacking us in one of our favorite and most vulnerable communal gathering places Holmes has wounded the American psyche unlike anyone since Cho or Harris and Klebold, maybe worse.

Emotions are high; we are in a state of communal fear, grief, and rage. It is a time to grieve, not to act.

And perhaps it is not the best time to debate as though winning on points matters...

Be well.

How Did It Make You Feel?

Frankly, Diane, the whole thing has disturbed me all weekend...

Diane Ritchey, Editor in Chief at Security Magazine (one of my regular reads) asked on LinkedIn ASIS International group today:

Do you think that ‘lone wolf’ incidents such as the recent Colorado movie theatershootings are growing or not? Take our new poll at securitymagazine

In a reply at LinkedIn and in an email I answered as follows...

The poll's title - ‘Lone Wolf’ Terror - is misleading and inflammatory. The tragedy in Colorado was certainly terrible and terrifying, but it was not terrorism.  The term, on the other hand, is almost exclusively used with an -ism on the end and applies to a completely different but highly charged issue.

The reply options are too narrow and inflexible.  

* Yes

* Yes, and we have procedures in place to mitigate those types of incidents. We are prepared.

* Yes, and we are working on internal procedures to prepare. It’s a work in progress.

* No, the Colorado movie theater shooting was an isolated incident.

We ought to be able to vote:

* No, the Colorado movie theater shooting was an isolated incident AND we have procedures in place and are constantly working on others to mitigate the frequency and severity of all crimes - rare or common, violent or not - that affect our business.

Even security practitioners need to be careful not to fall victim to the wide variety of cognitive biases humans are prone to. As Bruce Schneier reminds us in his excellent essay, The Psychology of Security...

* People exaggerate spectacular but rare risks and downplay common risks.
* People have trouble estimating risks for anything not exactly like their normal situation.
* Personified risks are perceived to be greater than anonymous risks.
* People underestimate risks they willingly take and overestimate risks in situations they can't control.
* Last, people overestimate risks that are being talked about and remain an object of public scrutiny. 

The killings and mayhem in Aurora weigh heavily on everyone, but especially security professionals. Events like this - rare or not - challenge our assumptions about our ability as individuals, parents, professionals, and citizens to protect ourselves, our families, our coworkers, and our community.  Holmes hit us at our most vulnerable, as we sat in the dark enjoying one of America's favorite pastimes.

The poll question itself, "Do you think that ‘lone wolf’ incidents such as the recent Colorado movie theater shootings are growing or not?" has a statistically valid answer that will not change regardless how we think - or feel - about it.  The violent crime rate in America is at a 40 year low.  Mass murder is rare; that's one of the reasons the news media tells us about it in fine-grained, lurid detail whenever and wherever it happens.

Instead of being guided solely by our emotions during a time of shock, sadness, and uncertainty security professionals and other business leaders must balance the emotional with the rational so that we can serve as a source of strength and confidence to our employers and clients.