Gun Violence Archive recorded 690 mass shootings in 2021. In a 2017 to 2018 NCES survey, 6% of students reported their school had experienced physical attacks on students or teachers. The pattern suggests that meaningful warning signs and preparedness gaps can appear well before an incident reaches its peak.
Key Takeaways
- 6% of students reported their school had experienced physical attacks on students or teachers in a 2017–2018 NCES survey
- In 2021, Gun Violence Archive recorded 690 mass shootings
- In 2020, the U.S. Secret Service reported that 56% of cases involving threats to public figures included concerning behavior and/or communications that indicated a potential for violence
- In the Secret Service 2019 report on targeted violence, 70% of attackers experienced changes in their behavior within 1 year before the attack
- In the Secret Service 2018 report, 61% of attackers had multiple warning signs observed by others
- In the 2018 Aggression and Violent Behavior study of U.S. mass shooters, 50% targeted civilians rather than law enforcement
- In RAND’s survey, 41% of districts reported conducting scenario-based training rather than tabletop exercises for active shooter response
- In a 2020 study by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Leadership, 34% of school administrators reported their schools did not have a formal reunification plan for emergencies
- In DHS’s 2020 guidance on mass notification, the department reported a typical mass notification system can send messages to large populations within minutes (targeting under 5 minutes in drills)
- In a 2019 evaluation of Safe Schools/Healthy Students partnerships, 58% of participating districts reported implementing threat assessment protocols
- In the RAND report above, 44% of districts reported having a formal, district-wide policy for responding to threats
- 64% of school administrators reported that their schools had a threat assessment or intervention team to address concerns about students exhibiting threatening or concerning behavior (2019)
- 39% of districts reported having a dedicated budget line item for school safety improvements (2018)
- 62% of K–12 schools reported using some form of visitor management (e.g., check-in/ID verification) to reduce unauthorized access (2020)
- 3.5 million public school students were enrolled in schools that experienced at least one incident of physical attack or threat reported by staff during the school year (2017–2018)
Recent data show warning signs, planning, and gaps in safety planning and training, underscoring the need for threat assessment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevention & Policy7 stats
01
In DHS’s 2020 guidance on mass notification, the department reported a typical mass notification system can send messages to large populations within minutes (targeting under 5 minutes in drills)
02
In a 2019 evaluation of Safe Schools/Healthy Students partnerships, 58% of participating districts reported implementing threat assessment protocols
03
In the RAND report above, 44% of districts reported having a formal, district-wide policy for responding to threats
04
In a 2021 Department of Homeland Security report, 62% of K-12 schools reported using some form of visitor management (e.g., check-in/ID verification) to reduce unauthorized access
05
In a 2018 RAND report, 39% of districts reported having a dedicated budget line item for school safety improvements (including security hardware and training)
06
In a 2020 survey cited in the National Association of School Psychologists, 61% of school psychologists reported participating in threat assessment or intervention teams
07
In the FBI’s 2021 Active Shooter policy update, agencies adopting the “Run, Hide, Fight” messaging reported higher drill participation, with 58% of surveyed agencies reporting increased engagement
Interpretation
Prevention & Policy Interpretation
Across Prevention and Policy efforts, the most striking trend is that while implementation is fairly common, formalization still lags, with 62% of K through 12 schools using visitor management but only 44% of districts reporting a formal district wide policy for responding to threats and 39% having a dedicated safety budget line.
02 · Category
Perpetrator Profile4 stats
01
In the Secret Service 2019 report on targeted violence, 70% of attackers experienced changes in their behavior within 1 year before the attack
02
In the Secret Service 2018 report, 61% of attackers had multiple warning signs observed by others
03
In the 2018 Aggression and Violent Behavior study of U.S. mass shooters, 50% targeted civilians rather than law enforcement
04
In a meta-analytic review in 2019 in Clinical Psychology Review, rates of prior psychiatric diagnosis among perpetrators of mass violence ranged from 0% to 60% depending on operational definition
Interpretation
Perpetrator Profile Interpretation
From the perpetrator profile perspective, the data show a strong warning pattern, with 70% of attackers changing behavior within a year and 61% showing multiple warning signs to others, while at the same time 50% of mass shooters targeted civilians rather than law enforcement.
03 · Category
Behavioral Risk4 stats
01
7.6% of adults reported experiencing stalking victimization by an intimate partner or ex-intimate partner at some point (2019)
02
31% of perpetrators in a reviewed sample showed evidence of planning behavior prior to the attack (2019)
03
44% of reviewed cases included leakage (i.e., concerning communications) prior to the attack (2019)
04
33% of mass-violence attackers studied were described as having experienced a major interpersonal grievance shortly before the attack (2018)
Interpretation
Behavioral Risk Interpretation
From a behavioral risk perspective, the pattern is clear: nearly half of reviewed cases showed leakage at 44% and about a third showed either planning at 31% or a major interpersonal grievance at 33%, indicating concerning communication and interpersonal-driven escalation often appear before the attack.
More related reading
04 · Category
Threat Assessment3 stats
01
64% of school administrators reported that their schools had a threat assessment or intervention team to address concerns about students exhibiting threatening or concerning behavior (2019)
02
39% of districts reported having a dedicated budget line item for school safety improvements (2018)
03
62% of K–12 schools reported using some form of visitor management (e.g., check-in/ID verification) to reduce unauthorized access (2020)
Interpretation
Threat Assessment Interpretation
Threat assessment efforts appear to be gaining traction, with 64% of school administrators reporting intervention teams in place and 62% of K–12 schools using visitor management, while only 39% of districts set aside dedicated safety budgets.
05 · Category
Incident Patterns3 stats
01
3.5 million public school students were enrolled in schools that experienced at least one incident of physical attack or threat reported by staff during the school year (2017–2018)
02
1.0% of students reported being threatened with a weapon at school within the past 12 months (2017–2018)
03
14% of students reported experiencing bullying at school that made them feel unsafe (2017–2018)
Interpretation
Incident Patterns Interpretation
Under the incident patterns angle, the fact that 1.0% of students reported being threatened with a weapon in the past 12 months alongside 14% reporting bullying that made them feel unsafe shows that threatening and harmful behaviors are persistent and contribute to a steady background level of risk.
06 · Category
Industry Overview7 stats
01
In 2021, Gun Violence Archive recorded 690 mass shootings
02
In 2020, the U.S. Secret Service reported that 56% of cases involving threats to public figures included concerning behavior and/or communications that indicated a potential for violence
03
In RAND’s survey, 41% of districts reported conducting scenario-based training rather than tabletop exercises for active shooter response
04
In a 2020 study by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Leadership, 34% of school administrators reported their schools did not have a formal reunification plan for emergencies
05
34,000 suicides by firearm occurred in the United States in 2019 (CDC FastStats)
06
19% of adults reported past-year anxiety disorder in 2021 (SAMHSA NSDUH)
07
6% of students reported their school had experienced physical attacks on students or teachers in a 2017–2018 NCES survey
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Industry overview data shows a persistent, high-consequence threat environment, with 690 mass shootings in 2021 alongside 34,000 firearm suicides in 2019, underscoring why mass shooter prevention and preparedness must remain a core focus for organizations.
report visual · Breakdown
Warning Signs and Planning Behavior (Selected Studies)
Selected studies report that many attackers show prior warning signs and planning behaviors before an attack, including leakage of concerning communications and evidence of planning.
44%
In the RAND report above, 44% of districts reported having a formal, district-wide policy for responding to threats
56%
In 2020, the U.S. Secret Service reported that 56% of cases involving threats to public figures included concerning beha
source-verifiedrand.org · secretservice.gov2020
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Mass Shooter Profile Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mass-shooter-profile-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Mass Shooter Profile Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mass-shooter-profile-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Mass Shooter Profile Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mass-shooter-profile-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)