There’s news of yet another mass shooting in the United States. That makes 39 so far this month (as of 1/25/2023), according to the Gun Violence Archive.
No matter your opinion about the causes, these numbers leave all of us sickened. The statistics are horrific.
So what exactly is a “mass shooting?” Here is the generally accepted definition:
Mass Shooting: The shooting of four or more people, not including the shooter, who are injured or killed.
To better understand the facts surrounding this uniquely American issue, I dug deeper into the data, looking at last year’s numbers from the Gun Violence Archive.
Here’s what I conclude:
- As you can see from the chart above, the total so far this month is already above last January’s total of 34.
- The number is below last year’s monthly average of 54.
- Last year, monthly mass shootings rose in the summer. Sadly, that’s ominous to contemplate as 2023 progresses.
In today’s New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof offers his opinion about what could be done to reduce gun deaths in the U.S.: A Smarter Way to Reduce Gun Deaths. It’s worth reading.
Please refer to my shared dataset for additional analysis of last year’s 648 mass shootings in the U.S.,