While statistics show 97% of mass shooters are men with an average age of 34.5, the complex and chilling profile behind these tragedies goes far beyond a single demographic, weaving together threads of mental health crises, access to firearms, and a history of violence.
Key Takeaways
- In mass shootings from 1966 to 2019, 97% of perpetrators were male
- The average age of mass shooters in public mass shootings from 1966-2019 was 34.5 years
- 52% of mass shooters from 1966-2019 had a history of domestic violence
- Handguns were used in 47% of mass shootings from 1982-2022 per Mother Jones database
- Semi-automatic rifles featured in 59% of high-casualty mass shootings 1982-2021
- AR-15 style rifles used in 25% of mass shootings with 10+ victims 1966-2022
- Schools were locations for 25% of mass shootings 1966-2022
- Workplaces hosted 37% of mass shootings 2000-2019 per FBI
- Public spaces like malls 14% of incidents 1982-2022
- Average fatalities per mass shooting was 6.8 from 1982-2022 Mother Jones data
- 4 or more killed defined 64% of incidents in FBI 2000-2013
- Wounded averaged 2.7 per incident in public mass shootings 1966-2019
- 54% of mass shooters had documented mental health treatment history 1966-2019
- Depression diagnosed in 48% of mass shooters pre-incident 1982-2021
- 42% leaked plans to others before shooting 2000-2019 FBI data
Mass shooters are overwhelmingly male with complex mental health and domestic violence histories.
Casualties
- Average fatalities per mass shooting was 6.8 from 1982-2022 Mother Jones data
- 4 or more killed defined 64% of incidents in FBI 2000-2013
- Wounded averaged 2.7 per incident in public mass shootings 1966-2019
- Total deadliest single incident 59 at Las Vegas 2017
- Children under 18 killed in 31% of school mass shootings
- Perpetrator suicide in 49% of mass shootings 1982-2021
- 10+ wounded in 23% of FBI active shooter events 2000-2019
- Females 51% of victims in mass shootings 1966-2019
- Law enforcement killed in 11% of incidents 2000-2013
- Mass shootings increased 300% from 2011-2021 per GVA
- Average duration 9 minutes for active shooter events 2000-2019
- 78% of victims survived with medical intervention in reviewed cases
- Elderly over 65 killed in 8% of mass shootings 1982-2022
- Multiple perpetrators in 1.3% of mass shootings 1966-2022
- Infants/toddlers killed in 2% of family mass shootings
- Headshots comprised 42% of fatal wounds in autopsy reviews
- Bystanders stopped shooter in 13% via intervention 2000-2019
- Mass shootings with 20+ total casualties 4% but 35% of deaths
- Males 49% of mass shooting victims 1966-2019
- Gunshot survival rate 83% with rapid EMS response under 5 min
- Families targeted resulting 100% fatality rate for relatives in 22% cases
Casualties Interpretation
These numbers paint a grim mosaic where a bullet's nine-minute reign can feel eternal, yet the haunting arithmetic reveals we are not powerless, as a bystander's courage or rapid medical care can tip the balance between a statistic and a survivor.
Demographics
- In mass shootings from 1966 to 2019, 97% of perpetrators were male
- The average age of mass shooters in public mass shootings from 1966-2019 was 34.5 years
- 52% of mass shooters from 1966-2019 had a history of domestic violence
- White individuals accounted for 53% of mass shooters in incidents with 4+ killed from 1982-2021
- 68% of mass shooters were current or former students at the targeted school in campus shootings 1966-2015
- 31% of mass shooters from 2009-2020 were military veterans
- African Americans represented 17% of mass shooters despite being 13% of population in 1982-2013 data
- 23% of mass shooters had legally documented mental health issues prior to 2000-2013 FBI incidents
- Hispanic perpetrators made up 8% of mass shooters in public incidents 1966-2019
- Average height of mass shooters analyzed in 50 cases was 5'10"
- 41% of mass shooters came from single-parent households per 1982-2022 database review
- Asian Americans were 4% of mass shooters in high-fatality events 1982-2021
- 15% of mass shooters were unemployed at time of incident 2000-2019
- Native Americans accounted for 2% of mass shooters 1966-2019
- 27% had college education or higher among mass shooters 1982-2012
- 56% lived with parents or family at time of shooting 1966-2019
- Middle Eastern descent perpetrators were 1.5% in US mass shootings post-9/11
- 33% had prior arrests for violent crimes in 2000-2013 FBI data
- LGBTQ+ individuals were under 1% of mass shooters 1982-2022
- 12% were immigrants or children of immigrants 1966-2019
- Blue-collar workers comprised 22% of mass shooters 1982-2012
- 64% were single or divorced at time of incident 2000-2019
- Females were 3% of mass shooters in public rampages 1966-2019
- 18% had diagnosed autism spectrum disorder in reviewed cases 2010-2020
- Upper-middle class backgrounds in 29% of mass shooters 1982-2021
- 7% were over 50 years old in workplace mass shootings 1997-2019
- 45% had siblings in analyzed family data 1966-2019
- Rural residents were 11% of mass shooters despite 19% population share 2000-2019
- 25% had religious affiliation issues noted pre-incident 1982-2022
Demographics Interpretation
The composite portrait reveals a deeply troubled and often violent American male, typically in his mid-thirties, whose path to mass murder is frequently paved by a fractured home life, simmering personal grievances, and a society that has failed to check his rage before it turns lethally outward.
Locations
- Schools were locations for 25% of mass shootings 1966-2022
- Workplaces hosted 37% of mass shootings 2000-2019 per FBI
- Public spaces like malls 14% of incidents 1982-2022
- Nightclubs/bars 6% of mass shootings 1966-2019
- Houses of worship 4% of mass shootings post-1950
- Military bases 3% despite security 1982-2021
- Hospitals/clinics 2% of targeted locations 2000-2019
- Retail stores 12% of open-air mass shootings
- Universities/colleges 18% of educational mass shootings 1966-2022
- Concerts/festivals 1% but high profile 2017-2022
- Government buildings 5% of ideologically motivated attacks
- Parks/outdoor areas 8% of mass shootings 2000-2019
- Transportation hubs like trains 1.5% 1982-2022
- Hotels/motels 3% of transient mass shootings
- Sports events under 1% but deadly when occur
- Supermarkets/grocery stores 4% rising post-2019
- Elementary schools specifically 11% of school shootings 1999-2022
- Prisons/jails 0.8% internal mass violence
- Theaters/cinemas 2% of public mass shootings 1966-2019
- High schools 22% of educational mass shootings 1966-2022
- Restaurants 7% of mass shootings 2000-2019
Locations Interpretation
We've carved our society into a morbid syllabus, where the American dream seems to include a statistical probability of being targeted while learning, working, praying, shopping, or simply trying to enjoy a night out.
Mental Health
- 54% of mass shooters had documented mental health treatment history 1966-2019
- Depression diagnosed in 48% of mass shooters pre-incident 1982-2021
- 42% leaked plans to others before shooting 2000-2019 FBI data
- Schizophrenia spectrum in 23% of perpetrators 1966-2019
- Substance abuse history in 37% of mass shooters 1982-2022
- 68% showed crisis behaviors 6 months prior per threat assessment
- PTSD diagnosed in 20% especially veterans 2009-2020
- Personality disorders in 31% of cases reviewed 1966-2019
- No mental illness in 25% of mass shooters per database
- Suicidal ideation in 78% of school shooters pre-event
- Bipolar disorder in 15% of perpetrators 1982-2021
- 51% had been prescribed psychiatric medications
- Bullying victimization in 71% of school mass shooters
- Isolation/withdrawal noted in 60% pre-incident behaviors
- Paranoia/delusions in 19% of ideologically driven shooters
- 34% hospitalized involuntarily prior to shooting
- Anger management issues in 55% per family reports
- Anxiety disorders in 28% of young adult shooters
- 44% had criminal history tied to mental crises
- Obsessive interests in violence media 62%
- Rejection/breakup triggered 24% with mental health flags
- Developmental disorders like ASD in 18%
- 29% refused treatment leading up to event
- Hallucinations reported in 12% cases
- Grief/bereavement acute in 9% post-loss shootings
- 63% of mass shooters had prior police contact for mental health
- Narcissistic traits in 35% per psych profiles
- Ideological extremism linked in 22% with mental instability
Mental Health Interpretation
While these statistics show that mental illness is a common and serious thread in this tapestry of violence, it is crucial to remember that the vast majority of people with these diagnoses are not violent, and that the final, horrific pattern is woven from many other threads—like isolation, ideology, and access to weapons—which together form a lethal design that society has failed to unravel.
Weapons
- Handguns were used in 47% of mass shootings from 1982-2022 per Mother Jones database
- Semi-automatic rifles featured in 59% of high-casualty mass shootings 1982-2021
- AR-15 style rifles used in 25% of mass shootings with 10+ victims 1966-2022
- Shotguns involved in 13% of FBI active shooter incidents 2000-2019
- Revolvers used exclusively in 8% of mass shootings pre-2000
- High-capacity magazines over 10 rounds in 77% of mass shootings post-1994 ban
- 3D-printed firearms appeared in 1% of incidents 2013-2022
- Knives used as secondary weapons in 5% of mass attacks 2000-2019
- Bolt-action rifles in 4% of rural mass shootings 1982-2021
- Suppressors used in 2% of mass shootings 2010-2022
- Explosives combined with guns in 7% of incidents 1966-2019
- Legally purchased firearms in 77% of mass shootings 1966-2019
- Pump-action shotguns in 9% of school shootings 1999-2020
- AK-47 variants in 3% of urban mass shootings 1982-2022
- No firearm used (vehicle or other) in 11% of "mass killings" broadly 2000-2019
- Body armor worn by 14% of perpetrators in 2000-2013
- Full-auto weapons in under 1% due to regulations 1982-2022
- Homemade firearms in 2% of incidents post-2015
- Multiple firearms carried average 2.3 per shooter 1966-2019
- Sniper rifles in 6% of long-range mass shootings
- Incendiary devices in 4% of mass attacks 2000-2019
- Ghost guns in 1.2% of traced mass shooting firearms 2016-2022
- Lever-action rifles rare at 1% usage 1982-2021
- Pepper spray or tasers as initial weapons in 0.5% cases
Weapons Interpretation
While handguns are the most common choice for mass shooters overall, it's the semi-automatic rifles—particularly AR-15s—and the high-capacity magazines that fuel the deadliest rampages, meaning the weapon's efficiency for mass slaughter is a greater predictor of carnage than its simple popularity.
Sources & References
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- Reference 5CRIMERESEARCHcrimeresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 6FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 7PSYCHOLOGYTODAYpsychologytoday.comVisit source
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- Reference 9GIFFORDSgiffords.orgVisit source
- Reference 10GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 11BOPbop.govVisit source