If it seems like mass shootings are becoming more and more common, it’s because they are. The following facts and statistics about mass shootings in the U.S and throughout the world make that unfortunate reality painfully clear.
Keep in mind that these statistics may fluctuate and won’t always match because of discrepancies in how mass shootings are defined by a particular study. Some define a “mass shooting” as any shooting in which 4 or more people are shot. Some exclude gang violence or domestic violence, and some count only situations where a shooter indiscriminately attacked random victims in a public place. Yet by any metric you use, the problem of mass shootings is steadily growing more severe.
The # of mass shootings & their increasing frequency
1. Data now confirms what everyone seems to sense: The problem of mass shootings is indeed getting worse. 2017 was the deadliest year on FBI record, with 30 mass shootings in the U.S. 2018 saw 27 incidents in the U.S. that left 85 dead and 128 wounded. (Wang, 4-13-2019) Although mass shootings declined during the coronavirus pandemic as schools closed and people stayed at home, they picked right back up again as things reopened, with 2022 on track to be the deadliest year ever.
2. Another analysis with more strict definitions found that from 2006 to 2016, the number of public mass shootings stayed relatively stable at 4 or 5 per year. But in 2017 it rose to 7, and in 2018 to 10. (Hobbs, Maher & Bauerlein, 8-5-2019)
3. Between 2000 and 2018, there were 277 active-shooter events (defined as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area) that killed 884 and injured 1,544 others. (Wang, 4-13-2019) In all but 3 of these incidents, the shooter acted alone, and in more than half of all cases, the perpetrator died on site–either by suicide or a gun battle with police.
4. FBI data shows the number of “active shooter attacks” at an average of 67 per year since 2010. (Elinson, 11-14-2019)
The carnage from mass shootings
1. One study found that mass shootings (defined as 4 or more people +killed+ in a public place, excluding gang killings) took an average of 8 lives per year in the 1970s, 15 in the 1980s, 21 in the 1990s and 24 in the 2000s. By the 2010s, this number had more than doubled to 51. (Elinson, 11-14-2018)
2. 373 U.S. citizens were killed in mass shootings in 2019, according to other data.
Where and when mass shootings take place
1. Here is a breakdown of active shootings by the area they occurred (percentage of total and # of shootings):
- Business: 30% (84)
- School: 19% (54)
- Workplace: 19% (53)
- Outdoor: 15% ___)
- Government: 7% (20)
- Residence: 5% (14)
- Place of worship: 4% (11)
- (Wang. 4-13-2019)
2. Most mass shootings occur during the day between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The type of guns used in mass shootings
1. A study of school shootings found more than three-quarters of attackers used handguns, whereas one-quarter used semi-automatic rifles. (Elinson, 11-14-2019)
2. Yet a study by New York University School of Medicine found that assault weapons accounted for 85% of mass shooting deaths from 1981 to 2017. (The Week, 6-17-2022, p. 11)
3. Although there’s no functional difference between a semi-automatic handgun and a semi-automatic assault rifle, differences in velocity and ammunition type make the latter more deadly. A study that looked at mass shootings from 2000 to 2017 found that shooters using assault rifles caused 97% more deaths and wounded 81% more victims compared to those who used handguns. (ibid)
Where mass-shooters get their guns
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48.5%: Legal purchase
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32.5%: Unknown
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12.4%: Theft
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8.7%: Illegal purchase
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2.9%: Gifted
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1.2%: Assembled themselves (Elinson, 11-14-2019)
The profile of mass shooters
1. An FBI study of active shooters between 2008 and 2013 found that 40% of the shooters had received a mental health diagnosis sometime before the attack, and 70% had “mental health stressors” or “mental health concerning behaviors” leading up to the incident. (Torrey, 8-5-2019)
2. Another report by the U.S. Secret Service, titled ‘Mass Attacks in Public Spaces-2018,’ found 67% of suspects displayed symptoms of mental illness or emotional disturbance, and 93% had a history of threats or other troubling communications. (ibid)