Workers in petrol stations, grocery stores, and other locations who take weapons with them to work are three to seven times as likely to be murdered at work than workers in equivalent jobs in which weapons are prohibited, a study has found (American Journal of Public Health 2005;95: 6-8).

Although some Americans keep guns for protection, having a gun at work may increase the risk of becoming a victim of violence. “I know there are lots of people with guns, especially in retail businesses. I don't know they offer any benefit of increased worker safety,” Dana Loomis, professor …