As investors in prominent U.S. corporations contemplate the impact of political backlash or trade uncertainties to their bottom line, a new risk has led companies to consider issuing a new warning to their shareholders: the possibility of mass shootings on company property.
Renewed attention has been drawn to the safety of public spaces after two gunmen carried out historically deadly mass shootings on Saturday. One attack, in El Paso, is believed to be the most lethal mass shooting targeting Latino immigrants in the country's history. That incident occurred at a Walmart, where unsuspecting shoppers were buying groceries and running errands with their loved ones.
But many service-oriented companies have taken notice of the uptick in mass shootings, and they're making sure investors are aware. New York City REIT, Inc., a corporate investment portfolio active in New York which owns properties leased to tenants such as CVS, Marshalls and Equinox, announced in its most recent annual filing that,"if an act of terror, a mass shooting, or other violence were to occur, we may lose tenants or be forced to close one or more of our properties for some time."