"Mass shootings account for only 0.2% of firearm deaths in the US a year -- but their impact is large, deeply traumatizing survivors, their communities, and the country as a whole. How do we, as a nation, try to prevent these mass shootings? And what commonalities exist between not just these shootings, but the shooters themselves? To find out, … [Read more...]
Unpacking the Violence Project: Episode 136
Main Stream Media Super Spreaders
The NRA published an article in the wake of three deadly mass shootings citing our op-ed from August 2019, "We Have Studied Every Mass Shooting Since 1966. Here’s What We’ve Learned About The Shooters." From the NRA: "Peterson and Densley wrote in the L.A. Times almost two years ago that, 'most of the shooters had studied the actions of other … [Read more...]
Will a return to normal post-pandemic mean a return of mass shootings?
The Violence Project's co-founder James Densley spoke with Talib Visram from Fast Company about the contagion effect of mass shootings and mental health. “The reality is: We weren’t living our best selves before the pandemic. America was not a happy, fully functioning place where everybody felt included, and where everybody was thriving. Going … [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...]
Mass shootings in public spaces had become less frequent during the pandemic.
Until Tuesday, when eight people were killed in Atlanta-area spas, it had been a year since there had been a large-scale shooting in a public place. In 2018, the year that a gunman killed 17 people and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., there were 10 mass shootings where four or more people were killed … [Read more...]