Mass shootings, which had become far less frequent in 2020, have come roaring back. On Monday, a gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., killing 10. And this comes on the heels of the Atlanta spa attacks last week that killed eight. We’ve been studying mass shootings, defined as four or more people shot and killed in a public … [Read more...]
Why mass shootings stopped in 2020 — and why they are now roaring back
Mass Shooter Database Version 3 is Now Available
What's new? Version 3 includes two new cases that met our definition from 2020 – far fewer mass shootings than in previous years. A new variable called “insider/outsider” was added to capture whether the perpetrator had an existing relationship with the site of their shooting. At K-12 schools, 85% of mass shooters were insiders. At colleges … [Read more...]
Presence of Armed School Officials and Fatal and Nonfatal Gunshot Injuries During Mass School Shootings, United States, 1980-2019
After deadly school shootings at Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Parkland, many states mandated School Resource Officers or provided funding for districts to hire them. Lawmakers also considered arming teachers. Florida now requires a law enforcement officer or trained school guardian in every school. By examining every recorded incident where one or … [Read more...]
Press Release – Study Finds Armed Officers Increase Mortality in School Mass Shootings
Saint Paul, Minn. -- More people die in school mass shootings where an armed officer is present according to a study published by Minnesota researchers in the peer-reviewed journal, JAMA Open Network on February 16, 2021. The study, led by Hamline University professor Dr. Jillian Peterson, examined every case since 1980 where one or more people … [Read more...]
US gun violence: too many people have died in 2020 – and COVID played a larger part than you think
"Recent reports here and elsewhere in the media have focused on gun violence in the US, reporting a dramatic rise in mass shootings in 2020 – despite the pandemic – which by November had overtaken the total for 2019. The term mass shooting conjures up images of Columbine and Parkland, but the story for 2020 is more complex." The Violence … [Read more...]