The United States has more mass shootings than any other country.[2][3][4][5] A mass shooting is usually defined as a shooting resulting in at least four victims excluding the perpetrator.[6] When the definition is restricted to four or more people killed, an average of eight people die during a mass shooting including the perpetrator.[7]
Frequency
The frequency in which mass shootings occur depends upon definition. In "Behind the Bloodshed", a report by USA Today, said that there were mass killings every two weeks and that public mass killings account for 1 in 6 of all mass killings (26 killings annually would thus be equivalent to 26/6, 4 to 5, public killings per year).[8] Mother Jones listed seven mass shootings, defined as indiscriminate rampages in public places resulting in four or more victims killed,[9] in the U.S. for 2015. The average for the period 2011–2015 was about 5 a year.[10] An analysis by Michael Bloomberg's gun violence prevention group, Everytown for Gun Safety, identified 110 mass shootings, defined as shootings in which at least four people were murdered with a firearm, between January 2009 and July 2014; at least 57% were related to domestic or family violence.[11][12] This would imply that not more than 43% of 110 shootings in 5.5 years were non-domestic, though not necessarily public or indiscriminate; this equates to 8.6 per year, broadly in line with the other figures.
Other media outlets have reported that hundreds of mass shootings take place in the United States in a single calendar year, citing a crowd-funded website known as Shooting Tracker which defines a mass shooting as having four or more people injured or killed.[13] In December 2015, The Washington Post reported that there had been 355 mass shootings in the United States so far that year.[14] In August 2015, The Washington Post reported that the United States was averaging one mass shooting per day.[15] An earlier report had indicated that in 2015 alone, there had been 294 mass shootings that killed or injured 1,464 people.[16] However, an article from RT stated that 42 percent of the incidents involved zero deaths, and 29 percent one death.[17] Shooting Tracker and Mass Shooting Tracker, sites that the media have been citing, have been criticized for using a criterion much more inclusive than that used by the government—they count four victims injured as a mass shooting—thus producing much higher figures.[18][19]
Contributing factors
There are several factors that work together to create a fertile environment for mass murder the United States.[20] Those factors include: relatively high accessibility of guns,[20][21][22] acute copycat phenomenon,[21] desire for fame,[20][21] widespread chronic gap between people's expectations for themselves and their actual achievement,[20] and individualistic culture.[23] It is debated whether mental illness is a factor.[24][25][26] Many of the mass shooters in the U.S. were mentally ill, but the estimated number of mental illness cases hasn't increased as significantly as the number of mass shootings, which tripled from year 2011 to 2014.[21]
Types of weapons used
Several types of weapons have been used in mass shootings in the United States including semi-automatic rifles, handguns, and shotguns. Of the semi-automatic rifles used, several are of the Colt AR-15 variant sometimes known as modern sporting rifles (MSRs),[27] including the Ruger AR-556, the Bushmaster XM-15, and the Smith & Wesson M&P15.[28][29] The AR-15 is popular in part due to its highly customizable nature. One leading bump stock manufacturer, Slide Fire, sells bump stocks (used in the Las Vegas shooting) designed specifically for AR-15 style rifles.[30] The NRA has called the AR-15 "America's Most Popular Rifle".[31][32]
Commonly used ammunition of AR-15 style rifles includes .223 ammunition or 5.56×45mm ammunition, which are high velocity and can travel between 3,130 feet per second and 4,000 feet per second.[33] Due to high velocity of the assault rifle rounds, these can also do more damage to victims than handgun shots and result in damaging tissue inches away from the bullet path due to cavitation.[34]
Deadliest shootings
The following are the top 20 deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history.
Incident | Year | Deaths | Type of weapon(s) used | Reference(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Las Vegas shooting | 2017 | 59 (including the perpetrator) | Semi-automatic rifles | [35][36] |
2 | Orlando nightclub shooting | 2016 | 50 (including the perpetrator) | Semi-automatic rifle | [35][36] |
3 | Virginia Tech shooting | 2007 | 33 (including the perpetrator) | Handguns | [35] |
4 | Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting | 2012 | 28 (including the perpetrator) | Semi-automatic rifle and bolt action rifle | [35] |
5 | Sutherland Springs church shooting | 2017 | 27 (including the perpetrator) | Semi-automatic rifle | [37][36] |
6 | Luby's shooting | 1991 | 24 (including the perpetrator) | Handguns | [35] |
7 | San Ysidro McDonald's massacre | 1984 | 22 (including the perpetrator) | Multiple weapons | [35] |
8 | University of Texas tower shooting | 1966 | 18 (including the perpetrator) | Multiple weapons | [35] |
9 | San Bernardino attack | 2015 | 16 (including both perpetrators) | Semi-automatic rifles | [35][36] |
10 | Edmond post office shooting | 1986 | 15 (including the perpetrator) | Handguns | [35] |
Columbine High School massacre | 1999 | 15 (including both perpetrators) | Multiple weapons | [38] | |
12 | Binghamton shootings | 2009 | 14 (including the perpetrator) | Handguns | [38] |
13 | Camden shootings | 1949 | 13 | Handgun | [38] |
Wilkes-Barre shootings | 1982 | 13 | Semi-automatic rifle | [38] | |
Fort Hood shooting | 2009 | 13 | Handguns | [38] | |
Washington Navy Yard shooting | 2013 | 13 (including the perpetrator) | Shotgun and handgun | [38] | |
17 | Aurora shooting | 2012 | 12 | Multiple weapons | [38][36] |
18 | Geneva County massacre | 2009 | 11 (including the perpetrator) | Multiple weapons | [38] |
19 | GMAC shootings | 1990 | 10 (including the perpetrator) | Semi-automatic rifle | [35] |
Umpqua Community College shooting | 2015 | 10 (including the perpetrator) | Handguns | [38] |
See also
References
- ^ "US Mass Shootings, 1982–2017: Data From Mother Jones' Investigation".
- ^ U.S. Leads World in Mass Shootings. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved: October 2, 2017.
- ^ Why the US has the most mass shootings. CNN. Retrieved: October 2, 2017.
- ^ Why the U.S. is No. 1 – in mass shootings. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved: October 2, 2017.
- ^ The United States Has Had More Mass Shootings Than Any Other Country. Mother Jones. Retrieved: October 2, 2017.
- ^ Ingraham, Christopher (3 December 2015). "What makes a 'mass shooting' in America". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ Berkowitz, Bonnie; Gamio, Lazaro; Lu, Denise; Uhrmacher, Kevin; Lindeman, Todd (5 October 2017). "50 years of U.S. mass shootings: The victims, sites, killers and weapons". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Behind the Bloodshed". USA Today. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ Mark Follman; Gavin Aronsen; Deanna Pan (12 June 2016). "A Guide to Mass Shootings in America". Motherjones.com. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ Mark Follman; Gavin Aronsen; Deanna Pan. "US Mass Shootings, 1982–2016: Data From Mother Jones' Investigation". Motherjones.com. Retrieved 13 June 2016. Original date 28 December 2012 ; list updated every 5 minutes. Figures for years 2011–2015: 3, 7, 5, 4, 7.
- ^ Melissa Jeltsen (18 July 2014). "Mass Shooting Analysis Finds Strong Domestic Violence Connection". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ "Analysis of Mass Shootings". Everytownresearch.org. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016. This analysis has later figures than reported in the article
- ^ "About the Mass Shooting Tracker". Mass Shooting Tracker. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ "The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year". Washington Post. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ Ingraham, Christopher (August 26, 2015). "We're now averaging more than one mass shooting per day in 2015". Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ^ "More than one mass shooting happens per day in the U.S., data shows". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ "More than 1 mass shooting per day in 2015? Reddit group keeping count". RT. December 1, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ Follman, Mark (December 3, 2015). "How Many Mass Shootings Are There, Really?". New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ Stuart, Elizabeth (December 7, 2015). "Number of U.S. Mass Shootings Greatly Exaggerated in Media, Acclaimed Researcher States". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Healy, Melissa (24 August 2015). "Why the U.S. is No. 1 – in mass shootings". LA Times. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d Christensen, Jen (5 October 2017). "Why the US has the most mass shootings". CNN. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ The United States Has Had More Mass Shootings Than Any Other Country. Mother Jones. Retrieved: October 2, 2017.
- ^ Dorell, Oren (December 18, 2012). "In Europe, fewer mass killings due to culture not guns". USA Today. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "The real mental health issue behind gun violence". CNN. January 25, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ Campbell, Holly (December 2, 2015). "Inside the mind of a mass murderer". WANE.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Fox, James Alan (January 16, 2011). "The real causes of mass murder". Boston.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ News, A. B. C. (2017-11-07). "How assault rifles have played a prominent role in US mass shootings". ABC News. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Texas gunman used same rifle as Las Vegas, Newtown mass shooters". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
- ^ "Six Great AR-15 Rifles for Your Christmas Wish List – Breitbart". Breitbart. 2016-11-20. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ "Leading Bump Stock Manufacturer To Resume Sales Tuesday". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ "Why own an AR-15? Four Texans tell why they own the most popular gun in America". Dallas News. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ "NRA Blog | Why the AR-15 is America's Most Popular Rifle". 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ Smith, Rich. "What Are Assault Rifles – and Which Companies Make Them?". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ "What an AR-15 Can Do to the Human Body". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Deadliest Mass Shootings in Modern US History Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Texas gunman used same rifle as Las Vegas, Newtown mass shooters". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- ^ Carissimo, Justin (6 November 2017). "26 dead in shooting at church in Sutherland Springs, Texas". CBS News. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Terrorist attacks and related incidents in the United States". johnstonarchive.net. Retrieved 6 November 2017.