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 abuse and neglect (92% of cases). This article examines the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in April 2020, and uses Drs. Peterson and Densley's … [Read more...]
How ending child abuse and improving mental health care could prevent mass shootings
After A Year Without Mass School Shootings, Experts Sound the Alarm About a ‘Return to Normal’
As the pandemic spread across the country, students were swept from their classrooms and isolated in their homes, raising concern that the instability could result in devastating emotional health implications and widespread learning loss. But it also came with an unsettling silver lining: A year without a single mass school shooting. The trend … [Read more...]
Columbine and the era of the mass shooter, two decades on
Twenty-one years ago, two seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., shot and killed 12 fellow students and a teacher. Three months later, a gunman murdered his wife and children and then attacked two day-trading firms in the Atlanta suburbs, killing a dozen more people. The eerie echoes of those back-to-back assaults have … [Read more...]
A Heavily Armed Man at a Grocery Store Adds to Anxiety in Atlanta
Dr. Jillian Peterson discussed how the recent mass shootings could be the spark of more mass violence. She also spoke about the drop off of mass shootings in 2020 after the two worst years on record, as well as the risks of social contagion. "'The more media coverage, the more the perpetrator’s face and message is everywhere, and people are … [Read more...]
For the COVID-19 pandemic we wear masks. For the pandemic of gun violence, what do we do?
The Violence Project's co-founders Jillian Peterson and James Densley spoke with Alia Dastagir about how we can combat gun violence. "We're acting like these are scary monsters, and they just show up and the best we can do is run faster and hide," Peterson said. "Our goal is to show the pathway for perpetrators, so we can have real … [Read more...]