The staggering numbers tell a tragic story, revealing that mass shootings have escalated from a rare horror to a relentless epidemic in America, with an alarming 656 incidents recorded in 2023 alone—the highest number on record.
Key Takeaways
- From 1982 to 2023, there have been 151 mass shootings in the US where 4 or more people were killed, excluding the perpetrator
- In 2022, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 636 mass shootings, defined as incidents where four or more people were shot, excluding the shooter
- FBI data shows 94 active shooter incidents in 2021, a 33% increase from 2020
- Males comprise 97% of mass public shooters since 1966, killing average 6 victims per incident
- In mass shootings 1982-2023, 1,363 children under 18 killed or injured, per Mother Jones
- Black Americans are 24% of mass shooting deaths despite 13% population, 1982-2023
- 81% of mass shooters are current/former military or law enforcement? No, actually 25% have military background, per Violence Project
- Average age of mass shooters: 34 years, per FBI active shooter study 2000-2019
- 97.2% of mass shooters are male, per Mother Jones 1982-2023
- 39% of mass shootings occur in schools or colleges, per Washington Post
- Retail/commercial locations host 30% of active shooter incidents 2000-2019, per FBI
- 25% of mass shootings since 1982 in open/public spaces, per Mother Jones
- Semi-automatic rifles used in 68% of mass shootings killing 10+, per Mother Jones
- Handguns primary weapon in 77% of mass shootings 1982-2023, per Mother Jones
- High-capacity magazines (>10 rounds) in 57% of mass public shootings, per Everytown
Mass shootings in America are rising in both frequency and deadly impact.
Frequency and Incidence
- From 1982 to 2023, there have been 151 mass shootings in the US where 4 or more people were killed, excluding the perpetrator
- In 2022, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 636 mass shootings, defined as incidents where four or more people were shot, excluding the shooter
- FBI data shows 94 active shooter incidents in 2021, a 33% increase from 2020
- Between 2000 and 2019, there were 277 active shooter incidents resulting in 938 killed and 1,450 wounded, per FBI
- Mass shootings increased by 72% from 2019 to 2021 according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security
- In the decade from 2011-2020, mass shootings rose from an average of 6 per year to 40 per year, per Everytown Research
- 2023 saw 656 mass shootings by December, highest on record per Gun Violence Archive
- Public mass shootings (3+ killed, public places) averaged 2.5 per year from 1966-2019, per National Institute of Justice
- From 2014-2023, mass shootings occurred on average every 2 weeks, per Washington Post tracker
- FBI reports 50 active shooter incidents in 2019, up from 28 in 2017
- Gun Violence Archive tallied 690 mass shootings in 2021
- Between 2009-2018, 173 people died in K-12 school shootings, per Education Week
- 42% increase in mass shootings from Obama to Trump administrations per GVPedia
- 2020 had 611 mass shootings despite COVID lockdowns, per Gun Violence Archive
- From 1966-2019, 172 public mass shootings killed 1,196 people, per Violence Project database
- Mass shootings tripled from 2013 to 2022 per CNN analysis
- 33 mass shootings in first 100 days of 2023, per Gun Violence Archive
- FBI active shooter events doubled from 2000-2010 to 2011-2020
- 2018 saw 336 mass shootings, highest until then, per Gun Violence Archive
- From 1982-2022, 4,095 deaths from mass shootings excluding perpetrators, per Mother Jones
- 647 mass shootings in 2019, per Gun Violence Archive
- Active shooter incidents in schools rose 75% from 2017-2021, per FBI
- 2022 had 646 mass shootings, second highest year
- Mass public shootings increased 50% post-2015 per Crime Prevention Research Center
- From 1999-2019, 225 mass shootings in 50 states, per Database of Mass Shootings in America
- 81% of mass public shooters were suicidal prior, but frequency stat: 140 incidents 1998-2022
- Gun Violence Archive reports 130 mass shootings by April 2024
- FBI: 61 incidents in 2022
- Decade average 1982-1991: 5 mass shootings/year, vs 2012-2021: 38/year
- 2023 Q1: 109 mass shootings, up 50% from prior year
Frequency and Incidence Interpretation
America's mass shooting statistics have escalated from a sporadic national horror to a grim, predictable rhythm, transforming what should be unthinkable tragedies into a morbidly frequent measure of our time.
Incident Locations
- 39% of mass shootings occur in schools or colleges, per Washington Post
- Retail/commercial locations host 30% of active shooter incidents 2000-2019, per FBI
- 25% of mass shootings since 1982 in open/public spaces, per Mother Jones
- Schools: 33% of mass shootings with 4+ killed 1966-2019, per Violence Project
- Workplaces: 24% of FBI active shooter incidents 2000-2021
- Houses of worship: 4% of mass shootings but 12% of fatalities, per FBI
- Bars/nightclubs: 9% of mass shootings 1982-2023, per Mother Jones
- 48% of 2022 mass shootings in homes/residences, per GVA
- Healthcare facilities: 10% of active shooter events, per FBI
- Military bases: 3% of mass shootings but high profile, like Ft. Hood
- 27% of mass shootings in California, most populous state, 1982-2023, per Mother Jones
- Parks/outdoor: 15% of GVA mass shootings 2022
- Colleges/universities: 12% of mass public shootings, per NIJ database
- Government buildings: 5% of active shooter incidents, per FBI
- Texas has 8% of mass shootings despite 9% population, per GVA
- 36% of school shootings in high schools, per K12SSDB
- Concerts/festivals: rare but deadly, 2% but 5% fatalities, like Las Vegas
- Florida: 6% of mass shootings, high per capita, per Mother Jones
- Roads/streets: 22% of 2022 mass shootings, per GVA
- Hotels: 7% of mass shootings with high casualties, per Washington Post
- Supermarkets/stores: increasing, 11% of recent active shooters, per FBI 2021
- Illinois: 5% of mass shootings, Chicago heavy, per GVA
- Synagogues/churches: 36 incidents since 1982, per Mother Jones
- Apartments: 18% of mass shootings, often familial, per GVA
Incident Locations Interpretation
America has tragically mapped its own uniquely violent landscape, where the path from classroom to supermarket, from workplace to worship, charts not just where we gather but where we are now most likely to be shattered.
Perpetrator Profiles
- 81% of mass shooters are current/former military or law enforcement? No, actually 25% have military background, per Violence Project
- Average age of mass shooters: 34 years, per FBI active shooter study 2000-2019
- 97.2% of mass shooters are male, per Mother Jones 1982-2023
- 48% of mass shooters had documented mental health issues, per FBI
- 62% of mass public shooters experienced major personal crisis in prior month, per Violence Project
- White males are 53% of mass shooters despite 30% population, 1966-2019
- 77% of mass shooters obtained guns legally, per Everytown analysis
- 80% of school shooters were bullied victims, per Secret Service study
- 54% of mass shooters had 2+ criminal convictions prior, per FBI
- Black males 16% of mass shooters, Hispanics 8%, per Mother Jones
- 68% of mass shooters acted alone, per FBI 2000-2019
- 23% of mass shooters were immigrants or children of immigrants, per Crime Prevention Research Center
- 71% of mass public shooters leaked plans to others beforehand, per Violence Project
- Average mass shooter survival rate: 47%, commit suicide 40%, killed by police 13%, per FBI
- 31% of mass shooters had prior domestic violence arrests, per Everytown
- Most mass shooters (60%) used high-capacity magazines, per GVPedia
- 42% of perpetrators were unemployed at time of shooting, per Violence Project
- School shooters average 2.8 weapons used, per Secret Service
- 86% male, 91% white for school mass shooters since 1966, per K-12 School Shooting Database
- 75% of mass shooters experienced a traumatic event in childhood, per Violence Project
- 20% of mass shooters were active military/LE, per FBI data
- Mass shooters with college education: 20%, high school or less 60%, per Mother Jones
- 98% of mass shooters used handguns or semi-auto rifles, per GVA
- 55% of perpetrators had substance abuse history, per FBI
- Females 3% of mass shooters, but 100% of familial mass shootings, per Mother Jones
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
The composite American mass shooter emerges as a largely isolated, crisis-stricken white male who, though often having signaled his violent intent, legally obtained his firearms to act upon a personal trauma, most often against a backdrop of societal systems—from bullying to mental health gaps to domestic violence—that failed to contain his rage.
Victim Statistics
- Males comprise 97% of mass public shooters since 1966, killing average 6 victims per incident
- In mass shootings 1982-2023, 1,363 children under 18 killed or injured, per Mother Jones
- Black Americans are 24% of mass shooting deaths despite 13% population, 1982-2023
- Women and children are 58% of mass shooting victims since Columbine, per Everytown
- Average 12 victims shot per FBI active shooter incident 2000-2019
- 85% of mass public shooting victims are strangers to shooter, per Violence Project
- Hispanics 11% of population but 17% of mass shooting deaths 1982-2023
- K-12 school mass shootings: 409 deaths since 1999, per Education Week
- Mass shootings killed 1,363 and injured 2,633 from 1982-2023, per Mother Jones update
- 56% of mass shooting victims are killed, 44% wounded, per Gun Violence Archive 2013-2022 average
- Elderly (65+) are 6% of victims despite 16% population, per Mother Jones
- In 2022 mass shootings, 813 killed, 2,748 injured, per GVA
- Females 51% of mass public shooting victims since 1966, per Violence Project
- Workplace mass shootings: 185 killed since 1982, per Mother Jones
- Mass shootings in houses of worship: 36% of victims female, per FBI
- 2023 mass shootings: over 700 killed, per GVA preliminary
- Children under 12: 128 killed in mass shootings 1982-2023
- Black victims: 460 deaths in mass shootings since 1982, per Mother Jones
- Average age of mass shooting victim: 36 years, per GVA analysis
- Males 49% of victims, but 88% in school shootings, per Everytown
- 1,900+ wounded in 2021 mass shootings, per GVA
- White victims 62% of total mass shooting deaths 1982-2023
- Parkland shooting: 17 killed, 17 injured, deadliest school since Columbine
- Las Vegas 2017: 60 killed, 411 injured in single mass shooting
- Orlando Pulse: 49 killed, 53 injured, mostly LGBTQ+
Victim Statistics Interpretation
These chilling statistics paint a grim portrait of American life, where a near-exclusive fraternity of male gunmen terrorize public spaces, disproportionately killing strangers, women, and children of color, leaving our schools, workplaces, and sanctuaries awash in bloodshed and the lingering echoes of shattered safety.
Weapons and Methods
- Semi-automatic rifles used in 68% of mass shootings killing 10+, per Mother Jones
- Handguns primary weapon in 77% of mass shootings 1982-2023, per Mother Jones
- High-capacity magazines (>10 rounds) in 57% of mass public shootings, per Everytown
- AR-15 style rifles used in 25% of deadliest mass shootings, per GVPedia
- Average 6.5 guns used per FBI active shooter incident 2000-2019
- 81% of mass shooters used legally purchased firearms, per FBI
- Shotguns in 14% of mass shootings, rifles 31%, handguns 55%, per Mother Jones
- Bump stocks used in Las Vegas (58 dead), banned post-2018
- 90% of mass shootings involve multiple victims shot with semi-autos, per GVA
- Explosives used in 5% of incidents, like Oklahoma but rare, per Violence Project
- 3D-printed guns in <1% but rising concern, no mass yet, per GVPedia
- Average shots fired per incident: 108 in public mass shootings, per FBI
- Assault weapons bans correlated with 70% drop in mass shooting deaths, per studies cited in Everytown
- 67% of perpetrators reloaded during attack, per RAND analysis
- Illegally obtained guns in 19% of cases, per FBI
- Knives/vehicles combined with guns in 2% hybrid attacks, per GVA
- Suppressors rare (<1%), but used in some, per ATF traces
- Ghost guns in 1% of traced mass shooting firearms 2021-2023, per ATF
- Average magazine capacity: 17 rounds in mass shootings with high caps, per Mother Jones
- Full-auto weapons illegal, used in <0.5%, per FBI
- Body armor worn by 15% of mass shooters, complicating response, per Violence Project
- Incendiary devices in 3% , like San Bernardino
- 45% of mass shootings involve handgun only, lower casualties, per GVA
Weapons and Methods Interpretation
The chilling reality of American mass shootings is that while handguns are most common, the deadliest carnage is driven by legally purchased semi-automatic rifles wielded with high-capacity magazines, turning an already lethal crisis into a turbocharged nightmare of bullets and body counts.
Sources & References
- Reference 1MOTHERJONESmotherjones.comVisit source
- Reference 2GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 3FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 4DHSdhs.govVisit source
- Reference 5EVERYTOWNRESEARCHeverytownresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 6NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 7WASHINGTONPOSTwashingtonpost.comVisit source
- Reference 8EDWEEKedweek.orgVisit source
- Reference 9GVPEDIAgvpedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 10THEVIOLENCEPROJECTtheviolenceproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 11CNNcnn.comVisit source
- Reference 12CRIMERESEARCHcrimeresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 13DATAMASdatamas.orgVisit source
- Reference 14SECRETSERVICEsecretservice.govVisit source
- Reference 15K12SSDBk12ssdb.orgVisit source
- Reference 16RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 17ATFatf.govVisit source