Key Takeaways
- Between 1966 and 2019, 96% of mass shooters in public mass shootings were male
- The average age of mass shooters from 1966-2019 was 34.7 years old
- 52% of mass public shooters were white, 20% Black, 8% Latino, and 7% Asian from 1966-2019
- 85% of incidents occurred in open public spaces like stores or streets 1966-2019
- 12% in schools, 10% workplaces per Violence Project
- Average 12 victims killed in public mass shootings 1966-2019
- 62% of mass shooters experienced childhood trauma or abuse
- 48% showed signs of clinical depression before attack 1966-2019
- 44% had suicidal thoughts or attempts prior to mass shooting
- 37% of mass shooters had prior arrests for violent crimes
- 48% had documented domestic violence histories
- 54% communicated plans to at least one person before attack
- 73% used handguns as primary weapon in mass shootings 1966-2019
- 26% used semi-automatic rifles
- Average of 9 firearms used per incident 1966-2019
From 1966 to 2019, most mass shooters were male and used handguns, often after warning signs and trauma.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics29 stats
01
Between 1966 and 2019, 96% of mass shooters in public mass shootings were male
02
The average age of mass shooters from 1966-2019 was 34.7 years old
03
52% of mass public shooters were white, 20% Black, 8% Latino, and 7% Asian from 1966-2019
04
25% of mass shooters were under 21 years old in public incidents 1966-2019
05
77% of mass shooters had a history of domestic violence or intimate partner issues prior to 2019
06
From 1982-2022, 97% of mass shooters were male according to Mother Jones database
07
48% of mass shooters in Mother Jones database were white males aged 18-35
08
8% of mass shooters were female from 1982-2022 per Mother Jones
09
Average age in Mother Jones mass shootings 1982-2022 was 35 years
10
61% of mass shooters had some college education or higher from 1982-2022, Mother Jones
11
In FBI active shooter incidents 2000-2013, 96.4% perpetrators were male
12
49.3% of active shooters 2000-2013 were white, 20.9% Black per FBI
13
Median age of active shooters 2000-2013 was 35 years old, FBI report
14
23.9% had criminal records prior to active shooter event 2000-2013, FBI
15
Washington Post database shows 64% of mass shooters since 1966 were white
16
33% of mass shooters in WaPo tracker were age 18-24 since 1966
17
6% female mass shooters in WaPo database since 1966
18
28% of mass shooters had college education per WaPo analysis
19
15% were immigrants or children of immigrants per WaPo mass shootings data
20
Gun Violence Archive notes 54% of 2022 mass shooters were 18-30 years old
21
91% male in GVA mass shootings 2014-2022
22
42% Black perpetrators in GVA 2022 mass shootings
23
Average age 29 in GVA 2023 preliminary data
24
12% Hispanic mass shooters in GVA database 2014-2023
25
Everytown reports 85% of mass shooters 2009-2020 were male
26
55% white in Everytown mass shooting analysis 2009-2020
27
22% under age 25 per Everytown 2009-2020
28
18% had military background per Everytown data
29
65% lived with parents or family at time of mass shooting per Everytown
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Across decades of public mass shootings, the demographic pattern is strikingly consistent, with 96% of shooters male and a median-age clustering around 34.7 years, showing that these incidents disproportionately involve young-to-midlife men.
02 · Category
Incident Characteristics20 stats
01
85% of incidents occurred in open public spaces like stores or streets 1966-2019
02
12% in schools, 10% workplaces per Violence Project
03
Average 12 victims killed in public mass shootings 1966-2019
04
61% ended with shooter suicide or killed by police
05
Mother Jones: Average 12 deaths per incident 1982-2022
06
44% in educational settings MJ database
07
FBI 2000-2013: 160 incidents, 1043 casualties
08
40% in commercial areas FBI data
09
Washington Post: 4+ killed average 6.5 since 1966
10
25% in schools WaPo tracker
11
GVA 2022: 636 mass shootings, 813 killed
12
79% in homes or residences GVA 2022
13
Everytown 2009-2020: 433 incidents, average 7.5 deaths
14
31% in public places excluding homes Everytown
15
FBI 2000-2019: 277 incidents, 89% stopped by unarmed civilians or police
16
34% open areas, 25% schools FBI update
17
RAND: Average duration 10 minutes for mass shootings
18
55% had multiple locations attacked RAND data
19
67% occurred on weekdays Violence Project
20
Average 40 wounded per high-fatality incident
Interpretation
Incident Characteristics Interpretation
Across incident characteristics from 1966 to 2019, mass shootings most often unfold in open public spaces at 85%, with schools and workplaces much lower at 12% and 10%, and they also frequently end in the shooter’s death at 61%, showing that these events are primarily public-facing and self-ending or law enforcement terminating.
03 · Category
Mental Health Factors27 stats
01
62% of mass shooters experienced childhood trauma or abuse
02
48% showed signs of clinical depression before attack 1966-2019
03
44% had suicidal thoughts or attempts prior to mass shooting
04
54% leaked plans to others indicating mental distress
05
77% had crisis points in life like job loss before shooting
06
Mother Jones: 44% diagnosed with mental illness
07
23% of mass shooters in MJ database were on psychiatric meds
08
35% had history of substance abuse per Mother Jones 1982-2022
09
FBI 2000-2013: 25% showed mental health stressors
10
13.7% had diagnosed mental illness per FBI active shooter report
11
62.3% experienced stress or loss before incident FBI 2000-2013
12
Washington Post: 59% had mental health issues documented
13
30% received psychiatric treatment prior per WaPo
14
42% showed signs of acute crisis like isolation, WaPo data
15
GVA notes 38% of 2022 shooters had reported mental health flags
16
Everytown: 51% had mental health concerns noted in 2009-2020 cases
17
27% had schizophrenia or bipolar diagnoses per Everytown
18
39% abused alcohol or drugs before shooting Everytown data
19
FBI 2000-2019 update: 40% had mental health red flags ignored
20
56% of mass shooters had leaked intent due to mental state
21
31% had prior psychiatric hospitalizations FBI 2000-2019
22
45% experienced recent trauma like breakup, FBI data
23
RAND study: 24% met criteria for serious mental illness
24
67% had personality disorders noted in psych evals, RAND
25
29% had autism spectrum diagnoses per RAND mass shooter review
26
52% reported chronic bullying as mental health factor
27
41% had family history of mental illness, Violence Project
Interpretation
Mental Health Factors Interpretation
Across mental health factors, 77% of mass shooters reached major crisis points such as job loss before the attack, and nearly half also showed signs of depression or suicidal ideation, highlighting how acute psychological and life stress often preceded the violence.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prior History And Warnings21 stats
01
37% of mass shooters had prior arrests for violent crimes
02
48% had documented domestic violence histories
03
54% communicated plans to at least one person before attack
04
30% had prior police encounters for threats
05
Mother Jones: 39% had felony convictions prior to shooting
06
51% had history of violence against family per MJ database
07
20% were on probation or parole at time of mass shooting MJ
08
FBI 2000-2013: 62.3% had acute stressors including criminal activity
09
40% had prior illegal gun possession charges FBI data
10
Washington Post: 52% had criminal records before mass shooting
11
63% showed warning behaviors like threats to others WaPo
12
35% had restraining orders filed against them prior, WaPo
13
GVA 2022: 46% had prior violent crime arrests
14
Everytown: 71% had history of abusive behavior
15
43% ignored by law enforcement after reports Everytown 2009-2020
16
FBI 2000-2019: 71% had leaked plans or shown attack warnings
17
25% had involuntary commitments prior FBI update
18
RAND: 55% had prior assaults documented
19
28% gang affiliated with prior crimes RAND data
20
49% had school disciplinary records for violence
21
32% reported to authorities but not acted upon, Violence Project
Interpretation
Prior History And Warnings Interpretation
The “Prior History And Warnings” pattern is strongly evident because 54% of mass shooters communicated their plans to at least one person and 48% had documented domestic violence histories, showing that many attacks were preceded by clear warning signs before the shooting.
05 · Category
Weapons And Armaments21 stats
01
73% used handguns as primary weapon in mass shootings 1966-2019
02
26% used semi-automatic rifles
03
Average of 9 firearms used per incident 1966-2019
04
68% used legally purchased guns
05
Mother Jones: 47% used assault weapons or high-capacity mags
06
57% handguns only in MJ database 1982-2022
07
24% rifles primary per Mother Jones
08
FBI 2000-2013: 73.9% handguns used
09
28.4% rifles in FBI active shooter incidents
10
Washington Post: 59% semi-auto handguns since 1966
11
31% AR-15 style rifles in WaPo tracker
12
GVA 2022: 82% handguns in mass shootings
13
15% rifles used in GVA 2023 data
14
Everytown: 81% handgun primary 2009-2020
15
22% high-capacity magazines over 10 rounds Everytown
16
FBI 2000-2019: 76% pistols, 26% rifles used
17
18% shotguns in FBI incidents 2000-2019
18
RAND: 64% legally obtained firearms
19
35% multiple guns carried average 2.5 per shooter RAND
20
21% used suppressors or modifications
21
45% reloaded during attack indicating high-capacity, Violence Project
Interpretation
Weapons And Armaments Interpretation
For the Weapons And Armaments angle, most mass shootings from 1966 to 2019 involved handguns, with 73% using them as the primary weapon, even though 26% involved semi automatic rifles and perpetrators averaged 9 firearms per incident.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Mass Shooters Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mass-shooters-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Mass Shooters Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mass-shooters-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Mass Shooters Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mass-shooters-statistics.
Sources & references
7 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level