It can sometimes seem as though mass shootings are occurring more frequently. Researchers who have been studying such crimes for decades say they aren't, but they have been getting deadlier. In the five years since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school, the nation has seen a number of massacres topping the … [Read more...]
Mass shootings aren’t more frequent, but they are deadlier
Hamline team researches the ‘why’ behind mass shootings
The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson sat down with Jana Shortal to discuss her research into mass shooters. As opposed to looking at mass shootings individually, Peterson and a team of students are looking at more than 25 years of mass shootings to compile a list of 130 mass shooters and identify commonalities. "When we try to prevent crime, … [Read more...]
How social media sends extremism into overdrive
The Violence Project's Jillian Peterson and James Densley wrote an article for CNN about how social media enables extremism. They examine how extreme groups coalesce and organize through social media, and what we can do to prevent it. "Let's stop being the audience the extremists want. If we walk out of the show, the extremists might be forced … [Read more...]
Verdict in police shooting of Philando Castile: The fear defense should have us all afraid
Why? Because it's emotional, not a rational assessment of danger. And police officers are trained to be particularly susceptible. Drs. James Densley and Jillian Peterson argue that because the fear defense is an expression of emotion rather than logic, the law needs to be changed. Bulletproof facts struggle to win debates or sway opinions on … [Read more...]
How mass shootings became our norm
The image of students running from Columbine High School was seared into the mind of those old enough to understand it. That image, of people running from a shooter, would repeat over and over again all across America. “I think we are at the point where we as a society are sick of it and people are really fed up,” Hamline Professor Jillian … [Read more...]