Amass shooting is aviolent crime in which one or more attackers use afirearm tokill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. Mass shootings with multiple deceased victims are a form ofmass murder. There is no widely accepted specific definition of the term, and different organizations tracking such incidents use different criteria. Mass shootings are characterized by the targeting, often indiscriminate, of victims outside a combat setting, and the term generally excludeswarfare,gang violence,shootouts, andself-defense. The perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting may be referred to as anactive shooter.
Mass shootings may be done for personal or psychological reasons, such as by individuals who are deeply disgruntled, seeking notoriety, or areintensely angry at a perceived grievance; though they have also been used as aterrorist tactic, such as when members of an ethnic or religious group are deliberately targeted. It has been theorized that media coverage of mass shootings has contributed to later shooters beingmotivated by fame-seeking. After mass shootings, mental health issues such assurvivor's guilt andpost-traumatic stress disorder are commonly suffered by survivors, first responders, and victims' loved ones.
The number of people killed in mass shootings is difficult to determine due to the lack of a commonly agreed upon definition. In the United States—the country with the most mass shootings—there were 103 deaths in mass shootings in 2021 (excluding the perpetrators) using theFBI's definition, and 706 deaths using theGun Violence Archive's definition. Mass shootings are relatively rare in China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Russia, and across Africa.
Like other forms of gun violence, but particularly due to their higher casualty counts, mass shootings often prompt scrutiny of and changes to localfirearms regulation. Mass shootings inDunblane,Port Arthur andChristchurch respectively contributed to significant expansions of firearm restrictions inthe United Kingdom,Australia andNew Zealand.
There are a variety of definitions of amass shooting:[1][2]
There are also different definitions of the termmass killing:
Anact of mass shooting is typically defined asterrorist when it "appears to have been intended" to intimidate or to coerce people;[20] although a mass shooting is not necessarily an act of terrorism solely by itself.[11]
The lack of a single definition can lead toalarmism in the news media, with some reports conflating categories of different crimes.[21][22][23]
The perpetrator is typically but not always excluded from thebody count.[24]
The number of people killed in mass shootings is difficult to determine due to the lack of a commonly agreed definition.[25] It is also difficult to determine whether their frequency is increasing or decreasing over time, for the same reason. In addition, there is a large impact from random chance,outliers, and the specific time frame chosen for analysis.[25]
The United States has had the most mass shootings of any country in the world.[31][32][33] There were 103 deaths in mass shootings in 2021 (excluding the perpetrators) using theFBI's definition, and 706 deaths using theGun Violence Archive's definition.[25] The FBI's definition refers to "active shooter incidents" defined as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area", while the Gun Violence Archive's definition counts incidents where at least four people (excluding the perpetrator) were shot, but not necessarily killed.[25]
In a 2016 study published by criminologist Adam Lankford, it was estimated that 31 percent of all public mass shooters from 1966 to 2012 attacked in the United States, although the U.S. had less than five percent of the world's population.[34] The study concludes that "The United States and other nations with high firearm ownership rates may be particularly susceptible to future public mass shootings, even if they are relatively peaceful or mentally healthy according to other national indicators."[35]
CriminologistGary Kleck criticized Lankford's findings, stating the study merely shows a proportional relationship but fails to prove that gun ownershipcauses mass shootings. The backlash from economist and gun rights advocateJohn Lott also raised objections to Lankford's methodology and refusal to share his data. He speculated that Lankford had overlooked a significant number of mass shootings outside the U.S., which if accounted for would adjust the nation's share closer to 2.88 percent; slightly below the world average.[36][37] Lankford has since followed up on his research, publishing his data and clarifying that the United States from 1998 to 2012 did have more than six times its global share of public mass shooters who attacked alone, which is almost always the case with mass shooters.[38] Using the data from Lott and Moody's 2019 study of mass shootings,[39] Lankford explains that "41 of all 138 public mass shootings by single perpetrators worldwide were committed in the United States. That represents 29.7 percent. Because America had in those years approximately 4.5 percent of the world's population (according to Lott and Moody's calculations), this indicates that based on their data, the United States had more than six times its global share of public mass shooters who attacked alone (29.7/4.5 = 6.6).[40] In a subsequent study, Lankford criticized Lott and Moody for including "attacks by terrorist organizations, genocidal militias, armed rebel groups, and paramilitary fighters" in their data and suggested they "misrepresent approximately 1,000 foreign cases from their own dataset" in other ways.[41]
Mass shootings have also been observed to be followed by an increase in the purchase of weapons, but this does not seem to create an increased feeling of needing guns in either gun owners or non-owners.[42]
Even though the globalCOVID-19 pandemic reduced public gatherings from March 2020 onward, the number of mass shootings increased significantly over that period. It "even doubled in July 2020 compared to a year earlier".[43]
It is common for mass shooting survivors to suffer frompost-traumatic stress disorder[47][48] andsurvivors guilt.[49] In 2019, Sydney Aiello and Calvin Desir, both survivors of theParkland high school shooting, committed suicide as a result of survivors guilt; Aiello knew of a friend killed in the shooting.[50]
After mass shootings, survivors frequently report persistent mental health effects; population-based and survivor studies have found elevated major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly among those with higher exposure and limited social support.[51][52] In addition, studies have evaluated post-incident service use, noting variable awareness and uptake of mental health and other support services among affected communities.[53].A survivor of theKnoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting wrote about his reaction to other mass shooting incidents.[54] The father of a victim ina mass shooting at a movie theater inAurora, Colorado, wrote about witnessing other mass shootings after the loss of his son.[55] The survivors of the2011 Norway attacks recounted their experience toGQ magazine.[56] In addition, one paper studied Swedish police officers' reactions to a mass shooting.[57]
 | The examples and perspective in this sectionmay not represent aworldwide view of the subject. You mayimprove this section, discuss the issue on thetalk page, or create a new section, as appropriate.(March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The overwhelming majority of mass shooters in the U.S. are male, with some sources showing males account for 98 percent of mass shooters.[58][59][60] According to Sky News, male perpetrators committed 110 out of 114 school shootings (96%) in the period 1982–2019,[61] compared to homicides in general in the United States, where 85.3 percent of homicides were committed by males.[62]
A study byStatista showed that 65 out of 116 (56%) U.S. mass shootings in a period from 1982 to 2019 involved white shooters (who are 65% of the population).[63] According to a database compiled byMother Jones magazine, the race of the shooters is approximately proportionate to the overall U.S. population, although Asians are overrepresented and Latinos underrepresented.[60]
In a study of 55 mass shooters from Mother Jones' mass shooting database, researchers found that 87.5 percent of perpetrators had misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated or undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric illnesses.[64]
According to a study by The Violence Project, 42 percent of all mass shooters experienced physical or sexual abuse, childhood trauma, parental suicide, or were victims of bullying.[65] They also found that 72 percent of perpetrators were suicidal.
In a study of 171 mass shooters who attacked in the United States from 1966 to 2019, researchers Adam Lankford and Rebecca Cowan found that although the vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent, "almost all public mass shooters may have mental health problems." They suggest the frequency of mental health problems among mass shooters is sometimes underestimated because "many perpetrators have never been formally evaluated by a psychiatrist or mental health practitioner...and others deliberately avoid doctors, conceal their mental health problems, or lie about their symptoms due to shame, stigma, or fear of other consequences." However, Lankford and Cowan also emphasize that mental illness is not the sole cause of mass shootings and many other factors play an important role in perpetrators' decisions to attack.[66]
Criminologist James Allen Fox said that most mass murderers do not have a criminal record, or involuntary incarceration at a mental health centre,[67] although an article inThe New York Times in December 2015 about 15 recent mass shootings found that six perpetrators had had run-ins with law enforcement, and six had mental health issues.[68]
Mass shootings (that occur in public locations) are usually committed by deeply disgruntled individuals who are seekingrevenge as amotive, for failures in school, career, romance, or life in general.[69][70] Additionally, or alternately, they could be seeking fame or attention,[71] and at least 16 mass shooters since theColumbine massacre have cited fame or notoriety as a motive.[72] Fame-seeking mass shooters kill on average more than twice as many people as mass shooters who are not fame-seeking. Many of the former articulate a desire to surpass "past records".[72]
Mass shootings can be motivated byreligious extremism,political ideologies (e.g.,neo-Nazism,Communism,terrorism,white supremacism),racism,misogyny,homophobia,perpetrator suicidality,mental illness,[73][74] and revenge againstbullying,[75] among other reasons.[58] Forensic psychologistStephen Ross cites extreme anger and the notion of working for a cause – rather than mental illness – as primary explanations.[76] A study byVanderbilt University researchers found that "fewer than five percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness."[77]John Roman of theUrban Institute argues that, while better access to mental health care, restricting high powered weapons, and creating a defensive infrastructure to combat terrorism are constructive, they do not address the greater issue, which is "we have a lot of really angry young men in our country and in the world."[78]
AuthorDave Cullen, in his 2009 bookColumbine on the 1999Columbine High School massacre and its perpetratorsEric Harris and Dylan Klebold, described Harris as an "injustice collector."[79] He expanded on the concept in a 2015New Republic essay on injustice collectors,[80] identifying several notorious killers as fitting the category, includingChristopher Dorner,Elliot Rodger,Vester Flanagan, andAndrew Kehoe. Likewise, mass shooting expert and former FBI profilerMary O'Toole also uses the phrase "injustice collector" in characterizing motives of some mass shooting perpetrators.[81] In relation, criminologistJames Alan Fox contends that mass murderers are "enabled by social isolation" and typically experience "years of disappointment and failure that produce a mix of profound hopelessness and deep-seated resentment."[82][83]Jillian Peterson, an assistant professor of criminology atHamline University who is participating in the construction of a database on mass shooters, noted that two phenomena surface repeatedly in the statistics: hopelessness and a need for notoriety in life or in death.[84] Notoriety was first suggested as a possible motive and researched by Justin Nutt. Nutt stated in a 2013 article, "those who feel nameless and as though no one will care or remember them when they are gone may feel doing something such as a school shooting will make sure they are remembered and listed in the history books."[85]
In considering the frequency of mass shootings in the United States, criminologistPeter Squires says that the individualistic culture in the United States puts the country at greater risk for mass shootings than other countries, noting thatmany other countries where gun ownership is high, such as Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Israel...tend to have more tight-knit societies where a strong social bond supports people through crises, and mass killings are fewer.
He is an advocate of gun control, but contends there is more to mass shootings than the prevalence of guns.[86] The Italian Marxist academicFranco Berardi argues that thehyper-individualism,social alienation and competitiveness fomented byneoliberal ideology andcapitalism creates mass shooters by causing people to "malfunction."[87]
A noteworthy connection has been reported in the U.S. between mass shootings and domestic or family violence, with a current or former intimate partner or family member killed in 76 of 133 cases (57%), and a perpetrator having previously been charged with domestic violence in 21.[88][89]
Some people have considered whether media attention revolving around the perpetrators of mass shootings is a factor in sparking further incidents.[90] In response to this, some in law enforcement have decided against naming mass shooting suspects in media-related events to avoid giving them notoriety.[91]
The effects of messages used in the coverage of mass shootings have been studied. Researchers studied the role the coverage plays in shaping attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness and public support forgun control policies.[92]
In 2015, a paper written by a physicist and statistician,Sherry Towers, along with four colleagues was published, which proved that there is indeed mass shooting contagion usingmathematical modeling.[93] However, in 2017, Towers said in an interview that she prefersself-regulation tocensorship to address this issue, just like years ago major news outlets successfully preventcopycat suicide.[94]
In 2016, theAmerican Psychological Association published apress release, claiming thatmass shooting contagion does exist and that news media and social media enthusiasts should withhold the name(s) and face(s) of the victimizer(s) when reporting a mass shooting to deny the fame the shooter(s) want to curb contagion.[95]
Some news media have weighed in on the gun control debate. After the2015 San Bernardino attack, theNew York Daily News' front-page headline "God isn't fixing this" was accompanied by "images of tweets from leading Republicans who shared their'thoughts' and 'prayers' for the shooting victims."[96][97] Since the2014 Isla Vista killings, satirical news websiteThe Onion has repeatedly republished the story"No Way to Prevent This", Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens with minor edits after major mass shootings, to satirise the popular consensus that there is a lack of political power in the United States to prevent mass shootings.[98]
Responses to mass shootings take a variety of forms, depending on the country and political climate.
After the 1996Port Arthur massacre, Australia changedits gun laws.
In the aftermath of theChristchurch mosque shootings, New Zealand announced a ban on almost all semiautomatic military-style weapons.[99][100][101]
Mass shootings are extremely rare inthe United Kingdom, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. As a result of theHungerford massacre inHungerford, England, and theDunblane school massacre inStirling, Scotland, the United Kingdom enacted tough gun laws and a buyback program to remove specific classes of firearms from private ownership. They included the Firearms Amendment Act 1988, which limited rifles and shotguns; and the 1997 Firearms Amendment Acts, which restricted or made illegal many handguns.[102] Since then, there have been only a handful of mass shootings in the country with relatively few fatalities. The UK has also banned the private ownership of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, and introduced stringent checks before issuing permits to private citizens to own single and low cartridge shotguns. There have been two mass shootings since the laws were restricted: theCumbria shootings in 2010, which killed 13 people, including the perpetrator;[103][104] and thePlymouth shooting in 2021, which killed six people, including the perpetrator.[105]
In the United States, support for gun law reformvaries considerably by political party, with Democrats generally more supportive and Republicans generally more opposed. Some in the U.S. believe that tightening gun laws would prevent future mass shootings.[106] Some politicians in the U.S. introduced legislation to reform thebackground check system for purchasing a gun.[107] A vast majority of Americans support tighter background checks. "According to a poll by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, 93 percent of registered voters said they would support universal background checks for all gun buyers."[108]
Others contend that mass shootings should not be the main focus in the gun law reform debate because these shootings account for less than one percent of the U.S. homicide rate and believe that these shootings are hard to stop. They often argue that civilians with concealed guns will be able to stop shootings.[109]
According to British criminologist Peter Squires, who has studied gun violence in different countries, mass shootings may be more due to the "individualistic culture" in the U.S. than its firearm laws.[110]
U.S. PresidentBarack Obama repeatedly addressed mass shootings during his eight-year presidency, calling for more gun safety laws in the United States.[111] After theCharleston church shooting, and theStoneman Douglas High School shooting, he renewed his call for reforming gun-safety laws and said that the frequency of mass shootings in the United States has "no parallel in the world."[112] After theStoneman Douglas High School shooting, the surviving students, teachers, and parents became leaders in the effort to banassault weapon sales and easy accessibility toweapons.[113]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The ongoing violence in Mexico has prompted the government to take action to try to address the issue. In recent years, the government has implemented various measures, including increasing security forces, deploying the military to high-risk areas, and tightening gun control laws. Despite these efforts, mass shootings in Mexico continue to be prominent in the country, and the country remains one of the most violent in the world according to some.
| This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mass shooting" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Mass shootings in Africa include a 1927 shooting inSouth Africa perpetrated byStephanus Swart, the 2016Grand-Bassam shootings inCôte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast, and the 1994Kampala wedding massacre inKampala, Uganda.
InEgypt, shootings include both the 1997Luxor massacre and the 2013Meet al-Attar shooting.
InKenya, on 2 April 2015, armedterroristsstormed a public university in the North Eastern part of the country and killed 148 people.
In China, theChongqing shooting occurred on 5 April 1993. Chen Xuerong, a worker at a machine factory used a hunting rifle to kill three coworkers before being captured by police. In 2013,Fan Jieming entered a shop and shot six people dead before being apprehended by police. Jieming was executed in 2016. Another shooting was the 1994Tian Mingjian incident.
Japan has had several mass shootings, including the 1938Tsuyama massacre, the2007 Sasebo shooting, and the2010 Habikino shooting.
InSouth Korea, the deadliest mass shooting was committed byWoo Bum-kon in 1982, leaving 62 dead. For many years, it was the deadliest mass shooting in modern history, until surpassed by the2011 Norway attacks.
In India, during the2008 Mumbai attacks, 10 gunmen affiliated with the terrorist groupLashkar-e-Taiba attacked multiple targets in Mumbai, killing 175 people and injuring hundreds more. The attack lasted for four days and one of the perpetrators was sentenced to death. Other notable incidents include the2001 Indian Parliament attack, in which five gunmen attacked the parliament building in New Delhi, killing nine people, and the2016 Pathankot attack, in which militants attacked anIndian Air Force base in Pathankot, killing seven security personnel. Mass shootings have also occurred in the context of regional conflicts. For example, the2014 Chhattisgarh attack involvedNaxalite militants attacking a convoy of political leaders and security personnel, killing 15 people, while the2021 Sukma-Bijapur attack involvedNaxalite rebels attacking security forces, resulting in the deaths of at least 22 security personnel. Other examples include the 1878 Hyderabad shooting and the 1983Pashupatinath Temple shooting.
InNepal, theNepalese royal massacre occurred in 2001.
InThailand, amass shooting occurred near and inNakhon Ratchasima, colloquially known as Korat, between 8 and 9 February 2020. A soldier of the Royal Thai Army killed 30 people and wounded 58 others before he was eventually shot and killed.[114] On 6 October 2022, 38 people, 24 of them children, were killed in ashooting and stabbing spree by a former police officer. The main target was a childcare centre inNong Bua Lamphu province. The perpetrator then killed both his wife and son at his own home before committing suicide. Other mass shootings that occurred in Thailand are thePak Phanang school shooting, theLopburi mall shooting, and theSiam Paragon shooting.
Mass shootings inPakistan include the 1948Babrra massacre, and the2014 Peshawar school massacre in which 149 people were killed.
Notable mass shootings inIsrael include the 1972Lod Airport massacre, which killed 26 and injured 80, the2002 Hadera attack inHadera, the2008 Jerusalem yeshiva attack atMercaz HaRav, the2014 Jerusalem synagogue attack inJerusalem, theJune 2016 Tel Aviv shooting at the popular Sarona centre complex inTel Aviv, and theNova music festival massacre, part of the larger7 October attacks, which led to the death of 364 of the participants in 2023. Other notable mass shootings include the2005 Shilo shooting, and the 2013Beersheba bank shooting. In April 2022, amass shooting occurred onDizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, in which a Palestinian gunman killed three civilians and injured six. In January 2023, a Palestinian gunman killed at least seven civilians in the Israeli settlement ofNeve Yaakov in occupiedEast Jerusalem. The suspect is also reported to have shot at worshippers exiting a synagogue and was shot and killed by police officers.
The deadliest mass shooting by a lone individual in modern history occurred in Europe with the2011 Norway attacks inNorway, in which 77 people were killed. Of those killed, 67 died of gunshot wounds.[103]
In the United Kingdom, on19 August 1987, in Hungerford, England, a man killed his mother before killing 16 people and injuring 15 others. On 13 March 1996, inDunblane, Scotland, a man entered a primary school and opened fire,killing 16 children and one teacher before committing suicide. On 12 August 2021, in Plymouth, England, a mankilled five people and injured two others before taking his own life. Other mass shootings in the UK include theCumbria shootings on 2 June 2010, in which a man killed 12 people and injured 11 others before committing suicide; theWallasey pub shooting, where 1 person was killed and 4 others injured; and theMonkseaton shootings, where 1 person was killed and 16 others injured.
InGermany, theErfurt school massacre on 26 April 2002 was inspired by theColumbine High School massacre. Former student Robert Steinhäuser killed 16 people, including two students, 11 teachers, a trainee teacher, a secretary and a police officer, before killing himself.[115] On 13 March 2009, a 17-year-old student named Tim Kretschmer went ona shooting spree at his former high school inWinnenden. Kretschmer killed 15 people, including nine students, three teachers, and three bystanders, before turning the gun on himself. On 22 July 2016, a lone gunman named David Sonbolyopened fire at a shopping mall in Munich, killing nine people and injuring 36 others. Sonboly, who had a history of mental illness, was armed with a pistol. After a brief exchange of fire with police, he turned the gun on himself. On 9 October 2019, a far-right extremist named Stephan Ballietattempted to carry out a mass shooting at asynagogue in the eastern city ofHalle. Balliet, who was armed with several3D-printed firearms andhomemade explosive devices, tried to force his way into the synagogue during the Jewish holiday ofYom Kippur. When he was unable to get inside, he shot and killed two people outside the building and injured several others. The entire shooting was live streamed onTwitch. Balliet was later arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. Later, on 19 February 2020, a mentally unstable man named Tobias Rathjenopened fire at two shisha bars in the town ofHanau, killing nine people before turning the gun on himself. Rathjen, who had a history of mental illness and far-right extremist views, left behind a manifesto in which he expressed his hatred for immigrants and called for the extermination of several ethnic groups.
In theCzech Republic,the first mass shooting in itsindependent history occurred on 8 March 2009, when a 42-year-oldNorth Macedonian national named Raif Kačar opened fire at the Sokol Restaurant inPetřvald, killing four. Kačar then shot himself and died four days later as a result of his injuries. The pistol used in the shooting was obtained illegally.A second mass shooting occurred on 24 February 2015, when a 62-year-old man named Zdeněk Kovář, who was legally armed with aCZ 75B and an Alfa 820revolver, entered the Družba restaurant inUherský Brod andstarted shooting. Nine people, including Kovář who committed suicide, died in the shooting, and one other person was injured. The police received criticism for its response to the shooting. This incident was the deadliest mass shooting in Czech history until the2023 Prague shootings. On 10 December 2019, when 42-year-old Ctirad Vitásek, illegally armed with a CZ 75B,opened fire at the traumatology room of theOstrava University Hospital [cs], killing seven and injuring two. Vitásek then fled the scene and committed suicide near the town ofDěhylov after being discovered by the police. On 21 December 2023, 24-year-old David Kozák, a world history student atCharles University who was also a legal owner of several firearms, murdered his father at his home inHostouň and lateropened fire at the Faculty of Arts building of the Charles University inPrague. 16 people, including Kozák's father and Kozák himself, who committed suicide at the rooftop terrace of the building, died in the shootings. 25 people were wounded. This was the first case of aschool shooting in Czech Republic's history. Kozák had brought several firearms with himself into the school, aGlock 47 pistol, aSIG Sauer P322 semi-automatic pistol and anAR-10–style rifle, which he used in the shooting and apump-action shotgun, which he used to commit suicide. Police later reported that Kozák was one of the many suspects in a case of adouble-murder of an infant and her father at Klánovice Forest near Prague, which occurred on 15 December 2023, Police also later announced that evidence linking Kozák to the double-murder has been found. On 27 December 2023, it was reported that police found a letter in Kozák's home, in which he confessed to the double-murder. The Prague shootings are currently the deadliest mass shooting in the Czech Republic's history.
InFrance, On 13–14 November 2015,a series of religiously motivated mass shootings and suicide bombings occurred inParis leading to the death of 130 people and 7 out of the 9 perpetrators. A few hours after the attacks, theBrussels Islamic State terror cell claimed to be behind the attacks. Less than a year prior to the Paris attacks,a shooting atCharlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris was perpetrated by two brothers,Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, on 7 January 2015. The shooting targeted the employees ofCharlie Hebdo after they posted a satirical magazine article onProphet Muhammed. The shooting lead to the deaths of 12 people and 11 others were injured. The brothers were shot and killed by aGIGN team two days after the attack during astandoff.
The deadliest shooting in Russia occurred on 8 October 1999, when Achmed Ibragimovkilled at least 34 Russian inhabitants in the village of Mikenskaya. Other shootings include theMoscow Multifunctional Center shooting on 7 December 2021, where a 45-year-old man shot and killed two people and wounded four others, reportedly after being told to put on a face mask. In another incident on 4 April 2020, Anton Franchikov shot five people to death inYelatma, Ryazan Oblast. In thePerm State University shooting on 20 September 2021, Timur Bekmansurov fatally shot six people before being apprehended by police. In another incident on 26 September 2022,Artyom Kazantsev opened fire at his former school inIzhevsk,Udmurtia, killing 18 people before committing suicide. One of the largest shootings involving military personnel occurred on 15 October 2022, at theSoloti military training ground in Belgorod Oblast. Two conscripts from Tajikistan committed friendly fire, killing 11 people before being killed by return fire.
InUkraine, on 27 January 2022, a gunmanopened fire at the Yuzhmash factory in the city ofDnipro. The attack left five people dead and five others injured. The shooter, a former employee of the factory, was reportedly disgruntled over his dismissal and had been seeking revenge. Another notable incident of mass shooting in Ukraine took place on 17 October 2018, when Vladislav Roslyakov, an 18-year-old student at theKerch Polytechnic College inCrimea, which wasannexed by Russia in 2014,opened fire on his fellow students and teachers, killing 20 and injuring more than 70 others. The shooter committed suicide in the library at the school. The perpetrator is believed to have beeninspired by Columbine.[116]
Notable mass shootings in Canada include the 1989École Polytechnique massacre (which led to strongergun control in Canada), the 1992Concordia University massacre, the 2006Dawson College shooting inMontreal, the 2012Danzig Street shooting, the2014 Edmonton shooting inEdmonton, the 2017Quebec City mosque shooting inQuebec City, the2018 Toronto shooting, and the2020 Nova Scotia attacks. Following the attacks in Nova Scotia, collectively considered to be the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history, Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau banned the use, sale, purchase, and import ofAR-15s – the semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting and many other shootings in the United States.[117]
Notable mass shootings inMexico include the2010 Chihuahua shootings in the state ofChihuahua.One of the deadliest mass shootings in Mexico occurred in 2010 in the town ofSan Fernando, Tamaulipas. In that incident, 72 migrants from Central and South America were found dead in a ranch, allegedly killed by members of the Zetas drug cartel. 2 months prior to that, 19 people were killed in Chihuahua inanother shooting. Another high-profile mass shooting in Mexicotook place in 2009, when a man opened fire on passengers on a Mexico City metro train, killing two people and injuring several others. In 2019, about 70 miles (110 km) south of theMexico–United States border, theLeBarón and Langford families endured a massacre in the state ofSonora, where nine women and children were killed by suspected members of a drug cartel. The victims were believed to have been mistaken for members of a rival cartel. Other notable mass shootings in Mexico include theMinatitlán massacre in 2019, theSalamanca nightclub shooting in 2019, and the2019 Villa Unión shootout. In 2020, the country experienced several high-profile mass shootings, including theColegio Cervantes shooting in Torreón, theIrapuato massacres, and theCamargo massacre. On 23 May 2022, 11 people were killed in amass shooting at the Gala Hotel and a nearby bar inCelaya, Guanajuato. The attackers were reportedly from theSanta Rosa de Lima Cartel, and left a message referring to theJalisco New Generation Cartel and three dismembered bodies found earlier that day. On 27 March 2022, 20 people were killed in amass shooting at an illegal cockfighting pit in Las Tinajas, Zinapécuaro, Michoacán. The attackers were believed to be from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and the massacre was part of a conflict between the cartel and the local gangFamilia Michoacana. On 24 August 2022, eight people werekilled in the city of Tuzantla, Michoacán, in a firefight between rival factions of La Familia Michoacana. The dispute stemmed from infighting between brothers Johnny "El Pez" and Jose Alfredo "El Fresa" Hurtado Olascoaga, leaders of the Tuzantla cell, and their former coworker known as "El Chaparro".
In the 1999Columbine High School massacre,two students from the school shot and killed thirteen classmates, including avictim who died in 2025,[118] and a teacher before committing suicide in the school's library. In theVirginia Tech shooting, 23-year-old studentSeung-Hui Cho killed thirty-two students and teachers, and wounded seventeen others. Other people were injured attempting to escape. When police stormed the building he was in, the shooter killed himself. In theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a local man killed his mother before shooting and killing twenty children and six adults atSandy Hook Elementary School inNewtown, Connecticut. He then committed suicide; the motive is still inconclusive. In theUvalde school shooting, a local man shot and wounded his grandmother before driving to his former elementary school and opening fire. He killed nineteen children and two adults before being shot dead by police. Eighteen other people were hospitalized.[119]
In thePulse nightclub shooting, a gunman, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in a shooting at Pulse, agay nightclub. The gunman was killed in a shootout with the police.[120] The perpetrator of the2022 Buffalo shooting, who killed 10 people, wrote in a lengthy manifesto that he was radicalized after having "extreme boredom" during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he began browsing4chan andneo-Nazi websites linked from it; the accused gunman's manifesto espoused notions from the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory and included screenshots of memes and conservative news headlines that he cited as sources for his ideology.[121]
Notable mass shootings inArgentina include the 2004Carmen de Patagones school shooting inCarmen de Patagones and the2006 San Miguel shooting, a workplace attack in a suburb ofBuenos Aires.[122][123]
Notable mass shootings in Brazil include:
Notable mass shootings in Australia include the 1987Hoddle Street massacre inHoddle Street,Clifton Hill,Melbourne; and the 1996Port Arthur massacre inPort Arthur, Tasmania. There were 13 mass shootings with five or more deaths between 1979 and 1996, and three mass shootings involving four or more deaths have occurred since the introduction ofnew gun laws following the Port Arthur incident.[126][127] On 4 June 2019, a 45-year-old gunmanbegan shooting at multiple locations inDarwin, Australia, resulting in the death of four people and the injury of one other person.[128] The gunman was sentenced to three life sentences without the possibility of parole, with an additional 15-year sentence.[129] The 2022Wieambilla shootings was a religiously motivatedterrorist attack that resulted in the death of two police officers and a neighbour, as well as the fatal shooting of the three perpetrators. The shooting lasted six hours. The motive was found to beChristian fundamentalism.[130]
New Zealand has a relatively low rate of gun violence compared to other developed countries despite its formerly lax gun laws.[131][100] The country has experienced three major mass shootings since the late 20th century.[132][133][101] Thefirst mass shooting occurred inAramoana, a small town on the east coast of the South Island, in 1990. David Gray, a 33-year-old man with a history of mental illness, killed 13 people and injured three others before being shot and killed by police.[132][133] Thesecond mass shooting occurred inChristchurch, the largest city insouthern New Zealand, in 2019. Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian-born man, opened fire on two mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51 people and injuring 40 others. This was the worst mass shooting in New Zealand history.[132][133] Thethird mass shooting occurred inAuckland, the largest city in theNorth Island. Matu Tangi Magua Reid, who was under house arrest killed two people and injured 10 others during a workplace shooting before killing himself.[101][134]
What is a mass shooting? Broadly speaking, the term refers to an incident involving three or more deaths due to gun violence. But there is no official set of criteria or definition for a mass shooting, according to criminology experts and FBI officials contacted by Mother Jones.
(I)the term mass killings means 3 or more killings in a single incident;
In January 2013, a mandate for federal investigation of mass shootings authorized by President Barack Obama lowered that baseline to three or more victims killed
Data source: Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center
Updated 27 March 2023Describes inclusion criteria.
Source: Jason R. Silva, William Paterson University
