June 18, 2026

June 16th Wilmington Hospital Shooting

Washington, D.C. - Doctors for America (DFA) is deeply impacted by the recent shooting at Wilmington Hospital in Delaware. As a healthcare community, this tragedy is all too common in our minds. It is a staunch reminder of how devastating gun violence can be, even in places once considered safe. 

Everyone deserves to feel safe where they work and live, but as healthcare workers, we know that violence is increasingly common in healthcare spaces. Violence against healthcare workers, especially physical violence, has increased from 6% in 2018 to 13% in 2022 based on a CDC survey.¹ Not only is there an increase in harassment, but there is increasingly more firearm violence within our communities. Healthcare facilities are considered soft targets, once thought to be removed from the imminent tragedy of gun violence and only involved as somewhere to pick up the pieces. Now many hospitals and clinics have policies in place for what to do if an active shooter enters the building. In recent years, there has been an increase of 47% in violent crime in a hospital setting, where there is targeting of healthcare workers for perceived grievances and the ease of where to find them.² The US Bureau of Labor shows that serious workplace violence incidents were 5x more likely in healthcare settings.³

Many hospitals have policies that prevent people from bringing a firearm onto the premises. In federally owned hospitals, there are laws against it, but private hospitals have no such protections. Each state has its own laws around whether to allow firearms to be carried in spaces like hospitals and schools. Only about a dozen states have laws that prohibit firearms in these sensitive places. Others have laws that prohibit local regulation of concealed carry firearms. In recent years, there has been an increase in laws that reduce the carrying of firearms in public spaces such as hospitals, but many are facing lawsuits from Second Amendment groups.⁴

Gun laws save lives. It’s something that many physicians talk about every day. These interventions start early with discussions around safe firearm ownership, including safe storage and responsible acquisition of firearms. The recent ATF rollback of a large number of firearm safety laws leaves old loopholes open. This includes the gun show loophole, where people can acquire a firearm without a background check.⁵ DFA strongly calls for increased regulation of the sale and acquisition of firearms, as well as increased safety measures in hospitals. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplace, and without strong legislation, this tragedy will continue to repeat itself.

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¹ https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/bulletin/2024/prioritizing-healthcare-workers.html

² https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/hospital-violent-crime-increased-47-last-year/113069/

³ https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplace-violence-healthcare-2018.htm

⁴ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2820415

⁵ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/trump-administration-gun-show-loophole

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About Doctors for America:

Doctors for America (DFA) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes over 40,000 physicians and medical trainees to advocate for policies that improve the health of patients and communities. Through advocacy training and action at the state and federal levels, DFA works to expand access to affordable care, strengthen community health and prevention, and advance health justice and equity. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical, insurance, or for-profit health care entities, ensuring our work remains fiercely independent and patient-centered. DFA puts patients over politics–and over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on X @drsforamerica or Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.

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