High-level details about mass shootings from 1966 to today
Number of Shootings
Total Fatalities
Total Victims
A mass shooting is an incident of targeted violence carried out by one or more shooters at one or more public or populated locations. Multiple victims (both injuries and fatalities) are associated with the attack, and both the victims and location(s) are chosen either at random or for their symbolic value. The event occurs within a single 24-hour period, though most attacks typically last only a few minutes. The motivation of the shooting must not correlate with gang violence or targeted militant or terroristic activity.
Mass shootings are most likely to occur in workplaces and schools
Timing mirrors activity patterns of locations
Handguns are the most commonly used weapons in mass shootings
Handguns
Rifles
Shotguns
Perpetrators tend to be white
Perpetrators are overwhelmingly male
Average Age
Years
Although these incidents represent one of the rarest forms of gun violence, they require different strategies for both prevention and response. A starting point to developing these is understanding the context and characteristics of mass public shootings. This fact sheet, drawn from data which also serves as the basis for the Regional Gun Violence Research’s flagship policy brief on the topic, provides important insights in mass public shootings from 1966 to the present.
It is important to note that the timing of mass shootings is more complex than analyzing just the day and time. Instead, the convergence of these measures (day x time) mirrors the routine patterns of the locations in which they occur. School shootings, for example, are most likely to occur at times that correspond to arrival, lunch, and dismissal. Shootings at places of worship occur most frequently on Sunday mornings. Both times reflect when people are typically congregated within these locations as large groups within more open spaces.
