Mass Shootings

America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained

The factors that lead to tragedies like the Louisville shooting are deeply ingrained in US politics, culture, and law.

Health care providers are unrecognized victims of mass killings. We’re doing little to support them

While their research is still early (and only partially funded), two things are clear: Mass casualties are now just part of the job for providers, and they affect them deeply.

How Often Do Mass Shooters Die In Their Attacks?

Almost half of mass shooters die during the attack, but certain factors raise the likelihood of that happening.

How to spot the warning signs and prevent mass shootings

It may sound a little “kumbaya“, but research on planned shootings that were prevented, as well as the psychology of loneliness, suggest that we have had the wrong idea about the role of mental health in these situations. Sorting out our thinking would help us identify individuals who may commit mass shootings, and empower communities to respond appropriately when suspicions arise. A common stereotype is that the perpetrators are mentally ill, but that is not usually the case, says Eric Madfis, a sociologist and professor of criminal justice at the University of Washington, Tacoma.

It’s time to lift restrictions on studying gun violence and its prevention

When a fatal disease becomes increasingly common, scientists along with public health and government officials sound the alarm and try to identify what is causing the disease, how it spreads, and how to prevent it. Why aren’t we taking a similar approach with mass shootings, which are a similar sort of public health issue?

Mass Shootings Can Be Contagious, Research Shows

Research shows that these incidents usually occur in clusters and tend to be contagious. Intensive media coverage seems to drive the contagion, the researchers say.

Mass Shootings Raise Questions About Security and Training

Perpetrators at schools and workplaces are typically insiders who know safety procedures, study finds.

Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms

Four assumptions frequently arise in the aftermath of mass shootings in the United States: (1) that mental illness causes gun violence, (2) that psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime, (3) that shootings represent the deranged acts of mentally ill loners, and (4) that gun control “won’t prevent” another Newtown (Connecticut school mass shooting). Each of these statements is certainly true in particular instances. Yet, as we show, notions of mental illness that emerge in relation to mass shootings frequently reflect larger cultural stereotypes and anxieties about matters such as race/ethnicity, social class, and politics

These Businesses Say They've Got What You Need to Survive a Mass Shooting

Rather than buy body armor or conduct active shooter training drills, school officials and parents should focus more on early intervention strategies, including student-threat assessments and better student supervision, according to gun control advocates and safety experts.

U.S. Leads World in Mass Shootings

Researchers cite link between gun ownership, attacks but say comparisons difficult.

Why Tech Will Never Be Able to Predict the Next Mass Shooting

Predictive algorithms are hard to make. For simple, basic algorithms to make predictions, they need a lot of data. From a social media perspective, there’s an abundance of data on everything from the number of followers, to the frequency of posts, to the average number of characters in specific posts. But the real problem is that an algorithm needs to balance input data with output data.

Mental illness epidemic has kids killing kids. Uvalde school shooting is only the latest

Many details remain unclear, and sweeping early conclusions are dangerous. But we know we have a mental health crisis with our youth. We know there are no easy answers. And we know we must act.

The Return of Mass Shootings

We search for the cause when the cause is staring us in the face, with the hideous blunt clarity of a Roy Lichtenstein cartoon image of a smoking revolver. Guns are easy to get, and people get killed by them. Make them harder to get, and there would be far fewer people dead.

‘It’s an American problem’: US readers on preventing future mass shootings

As America comes to terms with the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, readers explain what they think should be done to prevent future mass shootings.

A Disturbing New Pattern in Mass Shootings: Young Assailants

Six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger, a shift from earlier decades.

America is the only rich country that has frequent mass shootings

There is a simple reason for that.

America seems unable to solve a scourge that exists nowhere else

There is nothing surprising in this article, unfortunately.

Don’t let the mass shooters win

Mass shootings are a serious problem. But we shouldn’t let fear of them take over our lives.

I haven't gotten jaded or cynical about mass shootings — but it's getting harder

Yes, it's frustrating and enraging that nothing has changed. But we created this hell, and we can get out of it.

Mass Shootings in America Are Spreading Like a Disease

If it seems like the shootings are becoming more frequent, it might be because mass murder can catch on like an epidemic.

Mass shootings leave emotional and mental scars on survivors, first responders and millions of others

PTSD can develop not only through personal exposure to trauma, but also via exposure to others’ severe trauma. Humans are evolved to be sensitive to social cues and have survived as a species particularly because of the ability to fear as a group. That means humans can learn fear and experience terror through exposure to the trauma and fear of others. Even seeing a frightened face in black and white on a computer will make our amygdala, the fear area of our brain, light up in imaging studies.

Mass Shootings Rose In The Pandemic, Disproportionately Hurting Black Neighborhoods

Despite the social distancing, curfews and quarantines, mass shootings actually went up in 2020. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the number rose nearly 50% from 2019. And J. Brian Charles of The Trace writes that these mass shootings took place disproportionately in Black and Brown communities and haven't drawn the same attention as the most recent mass shooting in Georgia, for example.

Mass Shootings: 'This Is What Normal Has Come to Be Like in America'

“My fear was that we would start to see these mass shootings again when we started to go out in public, and that is exactly what is happening,” says Shannon Watts, who founded the gun-control advocacy group Moms Demand Action.

Nearly All Mass Shooters Since 1966 Have Had 4 Things in Common

The largest study of mass shooters ever funded by the U.S. government reveals stunning information about perpetrators.

Stop Asking Why Shooters Did It

Our obsession with unpacking the pathologies of the perpetrators keeps us from preventing violence.

The dangerous defeatism that follows mass shootings

No, the gun control debate was not over after Sandy Hook. It’s not over after Uvalde either.

The Online Spaces That Enable Mass Shooters

The eighteen-year-old who committed a racist killing spree in Buffalo last weekend spent many months developing his plans on the Internet.

We know what the problem is

The common thread in all of the country’s revolting mass shootings is the absurdly easy access to guns... Scientists should not sit on the sidelines and watch others fight this out.

Why Does the U.S. Have So Many Mass Shootings? Research Is Clear: Guns.

When the world looks at the United States, it sees a land of exceptions: a time-tested if noisy democracy, a crusader in foreign policy, an exporter of beloved music and film. But there is one quirk that consistently puzzles America’s fans and critics alike. Why, they ask, does it experience so many mass shootings?

March For Our Lives

Founded after the shooting in Parkland 2018. Fighting for a nation free of gun violence. Join us.