US Mass Shootings 2014 -2022
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Project Overview
The US is an outlier when it comes to gun violence. US governments have allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis. It has been termed a uniquely American epidemic. Mass shootings do not need to be an inevitable element of American life. Just like all other tragic forms of gun violence, we can prevent them through common-sense policy solutions. The bloodshed represents just a fraction of the fatal violence that occurs in the U.S. annually. Gruesome records have been set within the last decade. However, there is little indication at either the state or federal level- with a handful of exceptions that many major policy changes are on the horizon. Yet mass killings are happening with staggering frequency. In order to illustrate the magnitude of everyday gun violence this report analyzes the evolving trend between 2014 – 2022 in the numbers of total shootings, fatalities and injuries. Despite various measures taken to address gun violence in the United States, the number of shootings, fatalities, and injuries remain high, with significant variations among states.
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Problem Statement
The Gun Violence Archive a not-for-profit research group classifies a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter, and not necessarily fatally. According to the Pew Research Center, the FBI found an increase in active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2020. There were three such incidents in 2000; by 2020, that figure had increased to 40, a statistic that accounts for the nation\'s sharp incline in gun violence. The factors that contribute to the high rate of gun violence in the US include a cultural attachment to gun ownership, and a lack of comprehensive gun control laws at the federal level. While other countries have also experienced high-profile mass shootings, many have implemented strict gun control laws that have helped to reduce the overall rate of gun violence. Sadly, the United States lags behind. This highlights the ongoing issue of gun violence and the need for effective measures to address it.
Executive Summary
The US is an outlier when it comes to gun violence. US governments have allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis. Gun-related violence threatens our most fundamental human right, the right to life. In order to illustrate the magnitude of everyday gun violence this report analyzes the evolving trend between 2014 – 2022 in the numbers of total shootings, fatalities and injuries. Despite various measures taken to address gun violence in the United States, the number of shootings, fatalities, and injuries remain high, with significant variations among states. Compared to other developed countries, the United States has a much higher rate of gun violence. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the US has a gun homicide rate that is 25 times higher than the average of other high-income countries. Additionally, the US has a much higher rate of mass shootings than other developed countries. Therefore, an analysis is needed to identify the factors contributing to these trends and to develop effective strategies to reduce gun violence as it remains a complex and multifaceted issue in the US, and one that will likely require a comprehensive and sustained effort to address.
Data Dictionary
Key Takeaways
In 2017, there were 348 shootings, which was a decrease of 8.9% from the previous year (382 shootings in 2016). Fatalities YoY went down by -2.65%.
In 2022, there were 216 shootings, which was a decrease of 68.79% from the previous year (692 shootings in 2021). It\'s worth noting that the dataset ends in the month of May of 2022, so this is not for the entirety of 2022 nevertheless it\'s still a significant decrease.
In 2015, there were 336 shootings, which was a 23.53% increase from the previous year (272 shootings in 2014). Fatalities YoY also went up by 36.67% and Injuries YoY by 23.23%.
In 2019, there were 417 shootings, which was a 24.11% increase from the previous year (336 shootings in 2018). Fatalities YoY and Injuries YoY also went up by 25% and 28.50% respectively.
Next Steps
1. Buying a gun should be like buying a car. It is much easier to be a legal gun owner in America than it is to be a legal driver. The reduction in US motor-vehicle deaths over the past 50 years is one of the great triumphs of public-health intervention. Safer cars and stronger seat-belt laws have helped reduce car fatalities. We can learn lessons from auto safety. I therefore recommend, putting in more rigorous requirements for owning firearms. The Government should come up with a policy that would require every buyer to obtain a license that includes a registration of all purchases and at least a modest training program.
2. According to the data, Shootings and fatalities show significant year-over-year changes. Imposing stricter penalties and more accountability for gun-related crimes could help reduce gun violence. Federal law offers the gun industry extraordinary protections. In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields gun manufacturers and sellers from civil claims brought by victims of gun violence. My recommendation would be holding manufacturers liable for the misuse of their products to incentivize them to make firearms safer. If there were 500 deaths a year associated with any consumer product, it would be banned or regulated. So why not firearms which claim thousands of lives each year.
3. The data also highlights an increase in the number of Shootings per day during the pandemic from 13 in 2019 to 20 in 2020. The Shootings YoY went up from 24.11% in 2019 to almost double at 46.28% in 2020. Owing to economic stress, the pandemic led to widespread job losses and financial insecurity for many people, which then led to an increase in stress, social isolation and mental health issues contributing to an increase in violent behavior, including shootings. My recommendation is for the Government to invest in mental health resources and make them more widely available. This could include providing more funding for mental health clinics, increasing access to counseling services, and implementing mental health education programs in schools.
4. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, gun violence should have received $1.4 billion in federal research money from 2004 to 2015, on the basis of mortality rates and funding levels for other leading causes of death. Instead, such projects received $22 million - just 1.6% of the projected amount. Gun violence received 5.3% of the federal research funds allocated for motor-vehicle accidents, even though they kill similar numbers of Americans per year. The restrictions on research funding have had devastating consequences on what we know and what we don’t. According to the data Fatalities YoY was highest in New York at 33.33%. The highest average Shootings per Day was in Illinois at 13 with Fatalities YoY at 28.50% followed closely by California with12 Shootings per Day, Fatalities YoY at 20.12% and Texas with 9 Shootings per Day and Fatalities YoY at 27.74%. However, California opened the nation’s first state-funded firearms-violence research center, as an urgent investment response to find answers. My recommendation would be for other states with similar high metrics to invest in the same.
Deployment
