Mass Shooting in the United States of America: Data and Statistics

This chapter discusses the data and statistics related to mass shootings in the US. It includes study area description, data collection, methods of data collection, analysis of collected data, and recommendations.

Running head- THESIS PAPER
Chapter 3- Mass shooting in the United States of America
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

THESIS PAPER 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 3- Material and Methodology............................................................................................2
Study area description..................................................................................................................2
Data collection.............................................................................................................................4
Methods of data collection...........................................................................................................4
Analysis of collected data............................................................................................................5
Recommendations........................................................................................................................8

THESIS PAPER 2
Chapter 3- Material and Methodology
Mass shooting refers incidents that involve several victims, who have been affected with
firearm related violent acts. In other words, public mass shooting is defined as an incident that
involves indiscriminate selection of four or more individuals, who get injured or killed,
excluding the perpetrator (Follman, Aronsen & Pan, 2012). The USA has maximum incidents of
mass shooting every year, higher than any other nation. This chapter will discuss the data and
statistics related to mass shootings in the US.
Study area description
The United States of America (USA/US) is a federal republic that is composed of 50
different staters, 5 self-governing territories and other possessions. Mass shootings in the US
have been a major concern for sociologists, psychologists, public health matter experts,
government officials and policy makers. Owing to 33.4% of the total world wealth, the US
accounts for the largest proportion of global health that is concentrated in one particular country,
on a global scale. The government is regarded as the oldest surviving federation in the world, and
principally focuses on protection of minority rights (Brownlee, 2016). The US constitution acts
as the supreme legal document of the country. Furthermore, the citizens are generally subjected
to three government levels, namely, local, state, and federal. While the duties of the local
government are split between municipalities and counties, the federal focuses on three different
branches, such as, the judicial, executive and the legislative (Young, 2015). Mass shootings in
the US can he attributed to an increase in terrorism as well. Recent trends suggest that several
mass shooting incidents in the country have been caused due to Islamic extremism, black

THESIS PAPER 3
supremacy, Palestinian militancy, white supremacy and left wing or anti-government extremism
(Fox & DeLateur, 2014).
Data reports from the government registers that contain records of the history of mass
shooting incidents in the US have supported findings from peer reviewed articles that suggest
that individuals suffering from mental illness that interfere with daily life activities have been
found at an increased likelihood of committing violent acts such as, mass shootings (Metzl &
MacLeish, 2015). This correlation is further established by the fact that there are several laws
related to gun violence and databases that contain information of mentally disabled individuals,
in order to reduce risks of mass shooting in the districts (Rosenberg, 2014). History of mass
shooting, in the US, hint at long-held grievances, against the government, or policy makers, of
the country (Killias, Van Kesteren & Rindlisbacher, 2001). Mass shootings began gaining
attention of the media since the last two or three decades and resulted in the formation of endless
speculation among the public regarding the motive behind such violent acts. This triggered
political debates on firearm regulations (McGinty et al., 2014).

THESIS PAPER 4
Figure 1- Summary of mass shootings in the US
Source- (Rocque & Duwe, 2018)

THESIS PAPER 5
Data collection
Data regarding the history and rates of mass shooting in the US were collected from
several research evidences, news reports, government websites and databases that contained
information in the form of a tracker on mass shootings and murders in the nation. The Mass
Shooting Tracker is one such source that provided exhaustive information on the occurrence of
mass shootings in the US, in the form of single violence outbursts that resulted in injury of death
or more than four people (Massshootingtracker.org, 2018). Furthermore, a huge amount of
information related to mass shootings have also been extracted from the Everytown for Gun
Safety, the primary aim of which is to enhance public understanding on the underlying causes
that contribute to gun violence. The organization’s website helped in providing details of all
school shootings that took place in the US since 2013 (EverytownResearch.org, 2018).
Methods of data collection
The procedure was based on secondary data collection. Common sources that helped in
the data collection included organizational records, surveys, censuses and research articles.
Following this method for collecting information on the rates of mass shootings in the US helped
in saving time and facilitated access of government databases that were feasible for use. In
addition, the method was also selected for the purpose of data collection due to the fact that it
provide extensive information on the background work that had been conducted in this context.
Reports from newspapers and government organizations established reliability and validity of the
collected information.

THESIS PAPER 6
Analysis of collected data
Figure 2- Mass shootings in 2018
Source- (Massshootingtracker.org, 2018)
An analysis of the collected data state that there has been a three times increase in the
rates of public mass shootings in US, since the year 2011. Reports indicate occurrence of one
mass shooting incident, every 200 days, during the time 1982-2011. However, recent
government reports indicate acceleration in the rates, with such incidents occurring after every
64 days in the country (Blair & Schweit, 2014).
The substantial increase in its frequency is confirmed by all the databases and
organizations, with the maximum incidents being reported from schools. The reports indicate an
average of 300 school shootings since 2013. The first incident related to school shooting
occurred in the 18th century. Commonly referred to as the Enoch Brown school massacre, the
school master and 9 students were shot by American Indians (Rocque & Duwe, 2018). The
everincreasing rates of school shootings create significant impacts on the lives of school students
and the entire community.

THESIS PAPER 7
Figure 3- School deaths and injuries by shooting in the US by decade
Source- (Krouse & Richardson, 2015)
An analysis of the reports also suggests that these violent crimes led to 124 non-fatal
gunshots and 59 deaths. Most of these incidents involved discharge of firearms inside the school
campus or premises (Lankford, 2013). While more than 80 shootings took place in K-12 schools,
79 occurred in colleges and universities and resulted in severe injuries and death of the victims.
In most of the incidents, the perpetrator was found to have easy access to firearms at home
(Follman, Aronsen & Pan, 2012). Further analysis suggests that majority of the school shootings
affect innocent high school students. These can be attributed to unsecured carrying of firearms to
schools (Bushman et al., 2016). It can further be stated that majority of such violent acts occur in
Texas, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, New York, Washington, Viriginia, Georgia, Albama, and
Florida. The most recent incident occurred on February 14, 2018 at the Marjory Stoneman

THESIS PAPER 8
Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which resulted in death of 17 people. The perpetrator
was identified as a former student of the school (EverytownResearch.org, 2018).
Figure 4- 291 school shootings since 2013
Source-(EverytownResearch.org, 2018)
Further data analysis also indicates that more than 48 people have been injured due to
mass shootings in the month of January, 2018, with approximately 100 getting injured. The
reports also provide evidence for the fact that there has been an approximate 398 mass shooting
incidents since 2010, resulting in death and injuries (Massshootingtracker.org, 2018). Although
the rates were lower during the early 1900s, the sudden increase in the rates can be attributed to
expiry of the ban on assault weapons, in 2005. Clinton signed the ban on use of assault weapons
in 1994. This can be correlated with 4 and 8 death victims, in the year 1994 and 1997,
respectively (Ehrenfreund, 2018). However, no efforts were taken by the government to renew it.
This resulted in the drastic elevation in rates of public shootings. Furthermore, data reports also
suggest that 112 and 71 people were killed in 2017 and 216, respectively (Krouse & Richardson,

THESIS PAPER 9
2015). Thus, it can be stated that although mass shootings have a long history in the US, gun
violence has showed significant increase in recent years.
Recommendations
Although most government officials and policy makers blame poor mental health as the
potential cause of the increased public shooting events, vast majority of such incidents are not
attributable to mental disorders. The real problem can be correlated to easy access to lethal
assault weapons, such as, firearms that result in mass shootings. The lasting impact and severity
of wounds and disabilities of the victims result in devastating consequences. Thus, there is a
need to formulate appropriate laws and legislations that will bring about a restriction in the use of
guns (Reich, Culross & Behrman, 2002). In the wake of public shootings, a permanent spike in
stricter gun laws is required. continued legislative indifference, and blame-game results in a shift
of focus (Krouse & Richardson, 2015). Thus, advocating accurate gun control strategies is the
need of the hour. Around 47% Americans consider owing a gun as their fundamental right. It
often implies a sense of freedom for the residents, which is later on used unethically by the
perpetrators (Jacobs, 2015). Therefore, the government should bring about changes in the
existing policies that would make it difficult for individuals legally possess guns. This will create
significant impacts in rates of mass shootings.
Furthermore, there is also a need to conduct surveys and opinion polls to understand the
perceptions of the public in this context. It will create provisions for building public support.
Increasing the background check on use of guns will also bring about a limitation in private gun
sales. While previous reports suggest people suffering from mental illness have often conducted
mass shootings, the government should immediately debunk the myth that it is the primary cause
of these incidents. The existing federal laws only restrict buying of guns under criteria related to

THESIS PAPER 10
domestic-violence misdemeanors, felony convictions and dishonorable discharge, there is a need
to put stringent control on the widespread selling of guns, to combat gun violence.
Thus, it can be concluded that in addition to confronting mental illness, a systemic
approach focused on strict laws, should be adopted by the government to reduce the rates of
public shootings.

THESIS PAPER 11
References
Blair, J.P., & Schweit, K.W. (2014). A Study of Active Shooter Incidents, 2000–2013. Retrieved
from- https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-study-2000-2013-1.pdf
Brownlee, W. E. (2016). Federal Taxation in America. Cambridge University Press, 23-57.
Bushman, B. J., Newman, K., Calvert, S. L., Downey, G., Dredze, M., Gottfredson, M., ... &
Romer, D. (2016). Youth violence: What we know and what we need to know. American
Psychologist, 71(1), 17.
Ehrenfreund, M. (2018). We’ve had a massive decline in gun violence in the United States.
Here’s why.. Washington Post. Retrieved 24 February 2018, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/03/weve-had-a-massive-
decline-in-gun-violence-in-the-united-states-heres-why/?utm_term=.c0d37e49b5cd
EverytownResearch.org. (2018). The long, shameful list of school shootings in America.
Retrieved 24 February 2018, from https://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/
Follman, M., Aronsen, G., & Pan, D. (2012). A guide to mass shootings in America. Mother
Jones, 15, 119.
Fox, J. A., & DeLateur, M. J. (2014). Mass shootings in America: moving beyond
Newtown. Homicide studies, 18(1), 125-145.
Jacobs, J. B. (2015). Why Ban Assault Weapons. Cardozo L. Rev., 37, 681.
Killias, M., Van Kesteren, J., & Rindlisbacher, M. (2001). Guns, violent crime, and suicide in 21
countries. Canadian J. Criminology, 43, 429.

THESIS PAPER 12
Krouse, W.J., & Richardson, D.J. (2015). Mass Murder with Firearms: Incidents and Victims,
1999-2013. Retrieved from- https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44126.pdf
Lankford, A. (2013). A comparative analysis of suicide terrorists and rampage, workplace, and
school shooters in the United States from 1990 to 2010. Homicide studies, 17(3), 255-
274.
Massshootingtracker.org. (2018). Mass Shooting Tracker. Retrieved 24 February 2018, from
https://www.massshootingtracker.org/data
McGinty, E. E., Webster, D. W., Jarlenski, M., & Barry, C. L. (2014). News media framing of
serious mental illness and gun violence in the United States, 1997-2012. American
Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 406-413.
Metzl, J. M., & MacLeish, K. T. (2015). Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of
American firearms. American journal of public health, 105(2), 240-249.
Reich, K., Culross, P. L., & Behrman, R. E. (2002). Children, youth, and gun violence: Analysis
and recommendations. The Future of Children, 5-23.
Rocque, M., & Duwe, G. (2018). Rampage shootings: an historical, empirical, and theoretical
overview. Current opinion in psychology, 19, 28-33.
Rosenberg, J. (2014). Mass shootings and mental health policy. J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare, 41, 107.
Young, J. H. (2015). The toadstool millionaires: A social history of patent medicines in America
before federal regulation. Princeton University Press, 59-75.