Well, I bet you didn’t see this one coming
No, There Has Not Been a Mass Shooting Every Day This Year
This inflated stat all over the media isn’t just misleading—it’s stirring undue fear.Take a moment to consider what type of violent event that headline just brought to mind. The places and horrifying attacks you likely recalled surface instantly for most of us when we see or hear the term “mass shooting”—Columbine and Virginia Tech. Aurora and Sandy Hook. Charleston and San Bernardino.
Even as these mass shootings have grown more frequent and loom large in our consciousness, they are a tiny fraction of America’s gun violence and remain relatively rare. Yet many news outlets keep declaring that there have been upwards of “355 mass shootings this year” or “more than one mass shooting per day.” Many gun control advocates say the same.
This wildly inflated statistic isn’t just misleading the public—it’s stirring undue fear and may be encouraging bad policies.
In fact, there have been four mass shootings this year. Or, if you count using the federal government’s current criteria—three or more victims killed in an indiscriminate public rampage—there have been six mass shootings this year.
Huh. Let’s see
- San Bernardino: Islamist related
- Umpqua Community College: not a white guy, registered Independent, wackjob, held multiple types of political views
- Chattanooga, Tennessee: Islamist related
- Charleston, SC: total wackjob white kid
So, two by wackjobs and two by Islamists.
Anyhow, the article is well worth the read, a fair and impartial bit of actual journalism. What is the solution to stopping any mass shootings, or even “small” shootings? They can’t stop them in nations that have banned private ownership of guns.
