"35 Mass Shootings in the US This Year... 58% of Victims Are Family or Acquaintances"

WP, Analysis of Mass Shooting Murders in the US
28% of Victims Are from Indiscriminate Mass Shootings

There have been 35 mass shooting murder incidents in the United States this year in which four or more people died at once.

On the 30th (local time), the American daily The Washington Post (WP) reported that, based on an analysis of mass shooting murder incidents in the U.S. since 2006, an average of 24 mass murders occur annually, resulting in a total of 2,411 deaths.

Police officers stand in the entertainment district of Tampa, Florida, USA, where a shooting incident occurred on the 29th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

WP defined mass shooting incidents with four or more deaths excluding the perpetrator as "mass killings with gun" and analyzed related data compiled by AP, USA Today, and Northeastern University.

The analysis showed that from 2006 to the 25th of this year, there were a total of 450 mass shooting murder incidents in the U.S., accounting for 79% of all types of mass murder cases. So far this year, 35 mass shooting murders have occurred.

Perpetrators of mass shooting murders were often close acquaintances or family members. According to WP, 58% of all victims died at the hands of close people such as family or acquaintances, and 56% of victims under 18 lost their lives due to family members. Additionally, 45% of all murders were related to domestic violence.

Victims of indiscriminate mass shootings by strangers, which attract public attention, accounted for only 28%.

The most common location for murders was the home, accounting for 65% of all cases. This was followed by workplaces (12%), public places (6%), schools (2%), and religious facilities (1%).

Mass shooting murders motivated by hatred toward specific races, religions, or genders occurred approximately once every 12 incidents.

Regarding the gender of perpetrators, 404 out of the total 450 cases involved males.

WP pointed out that indiscriminate mass shootings represent a small portion of all gun-related deaths in the U.S., especially compared to everyday gun violence. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 49,000 people died from gun-related causes such as homicide, accidents, and suicide in 2021 alone, with 54% of those deaths being suicides.