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Some Key Findings

Over 80% of mass shooters were in a noticable crisis prior to their shooting

Mental Health
Crisis

The motivations of mass shooters have varied over time:

Motivation

Want to learn more?

Visit our Key Findings page or explore 6 of the 175 variables in the Mass Shooter Database here.

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About The Violence Project

The Violence Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center dedicated to reducing violence in society and using data and analysis to improve policy and practice.

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As Seen On

Our co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley are sought-after experts on the prevalence and prevention of gun violence, especially mass shootings. Their words and work have been cited in hundreds of media stories worldwide.

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The Mass Shooter Database

176 mass shootings
180 mass shooters
Over 50 years of data
Over 150 variables

The largest, most comprehensive database on the life histories of mass shooters.

View the Database

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The Off-Ramp Project

The Off-Ramp Project is a hub of information, training, and resources for anyone who has been impacted by a mass shooting or is interested in preventing the next one.  

Off-Ramp translates findings from the mass shooter database into tangible, evidence-based, strategies and skills to prevent future violence.

Visit the Off-Ramp Project

Testimonials

With Dr. Peterson and Dr. Densley’s innovative crisis response training program, we experienced a 23% decrease in crisis related service calls in our first year. Officers reported that the training was one of the best they have had, providing realistic tools they can use when helping those in crisis.

Scott Boerboom
Scott Boerboom
Chief of Police, City of Minnetonka

The nightmare scenario for a principal related to safety is a school shooter. Dr. Peterson and Dr. Densely’s research on mass shootings, and most importantly their framework for how we can think about prevention, provides school and system leaders with research that can be trusted and used in practical ways.

Katie Pekel
Katie Pekel
Ed.D, University of Minnesota

Teachers are on the "front lines" when it comes to recognizing students who are facing crisis. Teachers deserve a "real world tool box" to support a student who reaches out to them for help. Mass Shooting Prevention Training provides this "tool box." As a former educator and now, a survivor of a school shooting, I know how important it is for teachers to be able to "do something" when a student asks for help. Mass Shooting Prevention Training provides this help.

Missy Dodds
Missy Dodds
School safety advocate and Red Lake School Shooting survivor

Our Blog

On Scene Outcome

According to our data, about 58% of perpetrators died on scene before even being arrested. #results #data #research #Database Source: Twitter Return to all data visualizations

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Leakage of Plans prior to shooting?

Reports show the Oxford perpetrator’s parents failed to acknowledge signs their child would commit a mass shooting. Our data shows 44.1% of perpetrators, like the Oxford perpetrator, leak… Read More »

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School closures are costly caution — but are still not enough to prevent tragedies

“On Nov. 30, 11 people were shot, four fatally, at Oxford High School, about 45 miles north of Detroit. The crime scene investigation understandably closed the school for… Read More »

Read More
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Disclaimer: This project was supported by Award No. 2018-75-CX-0023, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

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