Gunshot insurance: the booming business in the United States

Following the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk, the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, and other high-profile acts of political violence in the United States, business is booming for insurance companies offering policies against "active shooter" incidents, as they categorize them. This comes amid a context in which political violence increased in 2025, and 2026 is following a "dangerous trajectory," according to an April report from Princeton University's Bridging Divides initiative. To protect themselves, organizations and institutions are seeking insurance policies against active shooters and armed aggressors, which offer coverage in the event of a firearm attack. The market for these products has doubled over the past six years, reaching a total of $100 million in annual premiums, according to the Financial Times. Generally, these policies cover property damage, legal costs, and other expenses arising from the attack. On average, clients pay tens of thousands of dollars for policies that offer $1 million in coverage, Reuters notes. The principal of Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma tackles a former student on April 7, 2026, to thwart a shooting. The United States has recorded 293 mass shootings so far between January and June of 2026, according to a report from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines these events as any incident in which four or more people are injured by gunfire, excluding the aggressor. This figure compares with the 309 recorded in the same period of the previous year, but represents a considerable increase over the 240 in 2020. Demand for this type of insurance has grown in the wake of recent shootings, including the killing of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. It was recorded as the worst school shooting in the United States in nearly a decade. Chris Kirby, head of political violence coverage at insurer Optio, told Reuters that demand for this type of insurance typically increases after major attacks. "That happened after 9/11 (2001), and the same occurred in the wake of the riots and civil unrest recorded in the United States in recent years. Now we are seeing that same increase in demand following the recent wave of mass shootings," the insurer said. A makeshift memorial at the entrance of The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, where three children and three school staff members were killed by a former student in a mass shooting. Mark Zaleski Blackthorn, a UK-based insurance broker, has seen a tripling of inquiries from the United States about its active aggressor coverage over the past year, according to Julian Vero, the company's chief executive and head of broking. "That attack carried out by a 'lone wolf' unsettled a lot of people. We were aware that there were numerous journalists and reporters on the scene covering what happened," Vero told The Independent, referring to an attack on Donald Trump. "As a result, we have recorded a considerable increase in inquiries about active aggressor insurance," he detailed. The company also observed greater interest following the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025, the death of United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in December 2024, and the mass shooting in July 2025 at the Midtown Manhattan skyscraper that housed the headquarters of the NFL (National Football League). "These events really trigger an increase in inquiries, unease, and concern, as well as the need to protect staff by taking out an active aggressor or active shooter policy, coverage that traditional terrorism policies do not offer," Vero noted. Active attacker policies are designed to be "aggressor-agnostic," meaning that clients are covered regardless of the attacker's motive, according to Blackthorn's website. People hold signs during the second "March for Our Lives" rally in favor of gun control, in front of the Washington Monument, on June 11, 2022. Jose Luis Magana These policies are not new: they first emerged in 2011 and became widespread in the mid-2010s, according to Reuters. As violence increases, so do its insurers. "We have been talking with clients, organizations, and risk managers about this peril for between five and 10 years," Thea Grootenhuis, a senior broker at Blackthorn, told The Independent. All kinds of groups have requested this coverage, from religious institutions and nightclubs to large real estate investment funds, according to Vero. Many insurance brokers are also offering these policies to schools, given that shootings at educational institutions in the United States are increasingly frequent. At least 78 school shootings were recorded in 2025, and by June alone at least 24 had already occurred, according to a CNN data analysis.