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Commonalities in Mass Shooters
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.
As Seen On
Jillian Peterson, PhD and James Densley, PhD are sought-after national trainers and speakers on issues related to mental illness, trauma, and mass violence. Their expertise and insight is highly-regarded and featured regularly in numerous publications.
The Mass Shooter Database
170 mass shootings
174 mass shooters
Over 50 years of data
Nearly 200 variables
The largest, most comprehensive database on the life histories of mass shooters.
Speaking Engagements & Training
The first data-driven, mass violence prevention national certification program. For K-12 schools, colleges, businesses, churches, and public spaces.
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-Ramps translates findings from the mass shooter database into tangible, evidence-based, accessible strategies and skills to prevent future violence.
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.
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.
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.
Our Blog
Idaho shooting: Very few school incidents committed by girls
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Authorities say they are trying to determine what prompted a young girl to open fire at a rural Idaho middle school, one of the… Read More »
Read MoreA Horrible History: Colorado’s Plague of Mass Shootings
“The Boulder King Soopers mass shooting on March 22, 2021, took as many lives as the prior four Colorado mass shootings combined. Colorado has witnessed 12 mass shootings… Read More »
Read MoreHow ending child abuse and improving mental health care could prevent mass shootings
The Violence Project’s co-founders spoke with reporters from Global News about our research into the commonalities behind mass shooters. The most prevalent commonality after gun access was childhood… Read More »
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