Columbine High School, Columbine Colorado:13 murdered.
Lewiston, Maine: 18 murdered.
Robb Elementary School, Uvalde,Texas: 21 murdered.
Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut: 26 murdered.
These are some of the grim statistics of innocents slaughtered by a crazed person (or persons) using a firearm to commit his evil. Each of these acts of butchery meets the FBI’s definition of a “mass public shooting,” which is a shooting that occurs in public, does not involve another crime such as robbery, and results in the shooting deaths of four or more persons.
What do we know about the shooters, the victims, the place of the crime and the firearms used in these horrors? Can our knowledge of these things stop or reduce the likelihood of such horrors repeating in the future?
The Crime Prevention Research Center has just published its annual update on the characteristics of “mass” public shooters from 1998 through 2023. Here are some of the key findings:
What are the implications of this research?
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Legislative bans on “assault rifles” are asinine; the data show that a shooter is most likely to use a handgun. Additionally, legislative bans on magazine capacity in guns and rifles are also likely to be unsuccessful as the shooter can simply bring several firearms to the crime scene.
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A disproportionate number of veterans are mass public shooters; it is clear that post-discharge mental health services for our service members must be greatly improved.
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The mental health profession is failing, and with the overwhelming acceptance of leftist “care,” it’s not hard to see why.
Jumping off the page is the fact that the overwhelming majority of these mass shootings have taken place at soft target sites where firearms are prohibited. It’s common sense to invest public money into protecting public institutions—especially where the population is the most vulnerable, like a school. This also, once again makes the case that “gun-free zones” only disarm peaceable citizens, not criminals.
Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.