Guns were Made to Kill: An Update
There have been 263 days in 2018 — and 262 mass shootings in America
Nearly one mass shooting a day, according to the Gun Violence Archive’s count.
By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Updated Sep 20, 2018, 3:33pm EDT
https://www.vox.com/2018/9/20/17882888/mass-shootings-us-aberdeen-maryland
Multiple mass shootings have occurred in just the past two days — at a courthouse in Masontown, Pennsylvania; a business in Middleton, Wisconsin; and a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland.
This is, apparently, not abnormal for 2018. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been nearly as many mass shootings so far this year as there have been days.
“There have been 262 American mass shootings (4+ shot or killed in the same incident, not including the shooter) in the 263 days of 2018,” the Gun Violence Archive tweeted.
This is roughly in line with what we’ve seen in recent years. In all of 2015, there were 335 mass shootings. In 2016, there were 382. In 2017, there were 346.
In total, there have been more than 1,800 mass shootings in the US since 2013. Here’s the full map of mass shootings going back to 2013:
As the tweet noted, the Gun Violence Archive defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, were shot but not necessarily killed in a similar time and place.
This is different than other definitions of mass shootings. Some definitions consider an event a mass shooting only if four or more people were killed. Others, like Mother Jones’s tracker, exclude certain types of shootings, such as gang and domestic violence, even if there were mass casualties.
Regardless of whether Gun Violence Archive’s count fits everyone’s definition of a mass shooting, the point is the same: The US regularly — almost daily — has shootings in which multiple people are wounded or killed.
America has a lot of gun violence
Beyond mass shootings, the US has a lot of gun violence, including homicides, suicides, and accidental events. A study published in JAMA found that the US is one of six countries that make up half of gun deaths worldwide; the other countries were Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala.
The US had a rate of 10.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, which dwarfed comparable developed countries: Switzerland’s rate was 2.8, Canada’s was 2.1, Australia’s was 1, Germany’s was 0.9, the United Kingdom’s was 0.3, and Japan’s was 0.2.
The good news is that crime and murder have generally trended down over the past couple decades in the US. The bad news is that the US, based on the numbers from the JAMA study, continues to see far more gun deaths than other developed nations.
That’s not because America is completely helpless in the face of these tragedies. The reason other developed nations have less gun violence in general is because they have stricter gun laws and fewer guns. (For reference, the US had 120.5 guns per 100 people in 2017 — more guns than people — while Canada had 34.7 per 100 people, Germany had 19.6 per 100 people, and Australia had 14.5 per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey.)
Good research backs up the link between more gun control and fewer gun deaths. A 2016 review of 130 studies in 10 countries, published in Epidemiologic Reviews, found that new legal restrictions on owning and purchasing guns tended to be followed by a drop in gun violence — a strong indicator that restricting access to firearms can save lives. The review suggested that no one policy seems to have a big effect by itself, but a collection of gun restrictions can produce a significant effect over time.
Similarly, a recent review of US studies by the RAND Corporation found some evidence that stricter gun laws, like background checks, reduce gun deaths and injuries, while permissive gun laws, like concealed carry, increase gun deaths and injuries.
But in a political and cultural environment that’s made it difficult to pass almost any new gun control law at the federal level, Americans have by and large just gotten used to the regular pace of tragedies. As Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern County, California, said at a press conference after a mass shooting in Bakersfield, California, last week, “This is the new normal.”
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A map of all mass shootings in the US, going back to 2013. To explore the data, click here for Vox’s full map
What will it take to change your mind? Guns were made to kill! CM
Comments
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It's funny that liberals break out the mass shooting definition of 4+ people when it is convenient for a shock factor. But they try to make it sound like Parkland incidents happen every day.
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@reformed said:
It's funny that liberals break out the mass shooting definition of 4+ people when it is convenient for a shock factor. But they try to make it sound like Parkland incidents happen every day.When it's your loved one who has been gunned down, does it matter? Get serious! You seem to view everything about guns as fun. On the other hand, when it comes to gun deaths, you are not inclined to believe it. Why is it that compassion seems foreign to you? CM
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@C_M_ said:
@reformed said:
It's funny that liberals break out the mass shooting definition of 4+ people when it is convenient for a shock factor. But they try to make it sound like Parkland incidents happen every day.When it's your loved one who has been gunned down, does it matter? Get serious! You seem to view everything about guns as fun. On the other hand, when it comes to gun deaths, you are not inclined to believe it. Why is it that compassion seems foreign to you? CM
I have never said such. Stop lying.
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Breakingviews - Exclusive: FedEx drops NRA deal by snail-mail
John FoleyFedEx planes on the tarmac during the presentation of the future extension of the FedEx hub in Roissy-en-France, North of Paris, France, October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
NEW YORK (Reuters Breakingviews) - Mass shootings happen in an instant and grab headlines. A business and investment shift away from the firearms industry is happening more subtly. FedEx, the U.S. shipping group, is ending a program that offers discounts for business members of the National Rifle Association, the company confirmed to Breakingviews.
It’s a quiet reversal: eight months ago, FedEx stood by the gun-rights lobby group as other companies scrapped deals. They were reacting to the NRA’s stance after 17 students and staff members were murdered at a Florida high school by a former student. Companies including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and car-rental firm Enterprise swiftly ended member discounts. At the time, FedEx said that while assault rifles of the kind used in most American mass shootings shouldn’t be in civilian hands, it did not believe in “discriminating” between organizations it works with.
The change of tack comes just days after a gunman killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue. The $56 billion logistics company says the closure of its NRA discount program from Nov. 4 has no connection to that incident or any other shooting. Rather, the NRA just didn’t bring in enough business to merit its own deal. It’s among dozens of organizations FedEx plans to move to new pricing programs, and the company has been notifying customers since early October.
That, though, is still significant – perhaps more so than largely political gestures. It suggests the NRA no longer has the economic clout to inspire fear in the corporate world. The group nearly put gunmaker Smith & Wesson out of business in 2000 when it branded the company a “sellout” for agreeing to back stronger gun controls. Boycotts from NRA members followed, and Smith & Wesson’s chief executive lost his job.
Gun-rights lobbyists have resisted both technology that could make firearms safer and no-brainer efforts like making more federal data on firearms incidents readily available. But companies are becoming less timid. When retailers Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart and Kroger pledged to end sales of assault rifles earlier this year, their shares didn’t suffer. As customers and investors change their views, businesses no longer need to take an overtly political stance – they can just follow the money.
Slowly but surely, don't do business with the NRA. CM
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More stupid knee-jerk reactions.
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@reformed said:
More stupid knee-jerk reactions.Did you read the article or my post above? It was the opposite. CM
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No it's not. Another shooting happened so they knee-jerk remove discounts for NRA members.
In other words, they penalize law-abiding citizens and an organization that had nothing to do with this shooting or any of the other shootings.
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@reformed said:
No it's not. Another shooting happened so they knee-jerk remove discounts for NRA members.
In other words, they penalize law-abiding citizens and an organization that had nothing to do with this shooting or any of the other shootings.
Not So! CM
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And what part of that is not so? The NRA didn't perform a mass shooting. How many mass shooters were NRA members?
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Christian Gun Owners need to examine their hearts before the next Communion. They need to free themselves of Instruments of Death. CM
Post edited by C Mc on -
@C_M_ said:
Christian Gun Owners need to examine their hearts before the next Communion. They need to free themselves of Instruments of Death. CMNo they don't
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What kind of Christian are you? This is a time to examine one's self. Surely, you can't be against Christians being introspective. What one collects, admires, spends money, will have a strong possibility, as well as, the probability of using them. Be not deceived! Christians don't need guns! They have Jesus, the Bible, prayer, faith, and fellowship. CM
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@C_M_ said:
What kind of Christian are you? This is a time to examine one's self. Surely, you can't be against Christians being introspective. What one collects, admires, spends money, will have a strong possibility, as well as, the probability of using them. Be not deceived! Christians don't need guns! They have Jesus, the Bible, prayer, faith, and fellowship. CM
Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
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@reformed said:
@C_M_ said:
What kind of Christian are you? This is a time to examine one's self. Surely, you can't be against Christians being introspective. What one collects, admires, spends money, will have a strong possibility, as well as, the probability of using them. Be not deceived! Christians don't need guns! They have Jesus, the Bible, prayer, faith, and fellowship. CM
Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
How could you, boldly, dismiss the 11 Jews recently killed? Guns were made to kill! I am deeply offended by your, guns talking points, mendacity. CM
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@C_M_ said:
@reformed said:
@C_M_ said:
What kind of Christian are you? This is a time to examine one's self. Surely, you can't be against Christians being introspective. What one collects, admires, spends money, will have a strong possibility, as well as, the probability of using them. Be not deceived! Christians don't need guns! They have Jesus, the Bible, prayer, faith, and fellowship. CM
Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
How could you, boldly, dismiss the 11 Jews recently killed? Guns were made to kill! I am deeply offended by your, guns talking points, mendacity. CM
I have done no such thing. If you are offended that is your problem.
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@reformed said:
Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
How could you, boldly, dismiss the 11 Jews recently killed? Guns were made to kill! I am deeply offended by your, guns talking points, mendacity. CM
I have done no such thing. I
Take back your statement:
@reformed said: > > Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
If you are offended that is your problem.
Why you don't care how I feel about the loss of these lives? Do you have something against the Jews? CM
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@C_M_ said:
@reformed said:
Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
How could you, boldly, dismiss the 11 Jews recently killed? Guns were made to kill! I am deeply offended by your, guns talking points, mendacity. CM
I have done no such thing. I
Take back your statement:
@reformed said: > > Nothing wrong with owning a gun. Nothing biblically, nothing socially, nothing economically.
If you are offended that is your problem.
Why you don't care how I feel about the loss of these lives? Do you have something against the Jews? CM
Take what back? I've not said anything against these Jews. Stop Race Baiting.
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You made me cry. Families are still grieving. CM
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@C_M_ said:
You made me cry. Families are still grieving. CMI didn't make you do anything. I did not say anything that would offend you. If you got offended by what I said then you need to get some help you are too fragile.
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Guns have no redeeming value from the purpose in which it was made. CM
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@C_M_ said:
Guns have no redeeming value from the purpose in which it was made. CMAlso not true. Perhaps you need some mental care? Some education? A reality check? A straight jacket?
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You need to stop! Just because I care about life and don't care for gun violence, does this makes me what you say? This is so unkind. If there were better guns laws, the 11-people lives may have been avoided. CM
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@C_M_ said:
You need to stop! Just because I care about life and don't care for gun violence, does this makes me what you say? This is so unkind. If there were better guns laws, the 11-people lives may have been avoided. CM
Likely not. Show one mass shooting where gun laws would have worked? In fact, in most cases mass shootings are a result of failed gun laws because they DON'T work.
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FOR THE MORE SOBER MINDS...
Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World
Nurith AizenmanNovember 9, 20183:14 PM ET
Editor's note: This story was originally published in October 2017 and has been republished with updated data on gun violence rates.Every fall the University of Washington produces a report comparing the past year's rate of gun violence in the United States to the rates in other countries.
The timing of this year's report couldn't be more apt — or more grim. The statistics were released on Thursday just as Americans were waking up to the news that a gunman had opened fire the night before at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He killed 12 people and was found dead at the scene.
The attack came just 11 days after the fatal shooting that claimed 11 lives at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue. Eight months before that, a gunman shot 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. And just over a year ago a gunman massacred 58 people at a music festival in Las Vegas.
As in previous years, the University of Washington's latest data indicate that this level of gun violence in a well-off country is a particularly American phenomenon.
When you consider countries with the top indicators of socioeconomic success — income per person and average education level, for instance — the United States is bested by just 18 nations, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan.
Those countries all also enjoy low rates of gun violence. But the U.S. has the 28th-highest rate in the world: 4.43 deaths due to gun violence per 100,000 people in 2017. That was nine times as high as the rate in Canada, which had 0.47 deaths per 100,000 people — and 29 times as high as in Denmark, which had 0.15 deaths per 100,000.
The numbers come from a massive database maintained by the University's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which tracks lives lost in every country, in every year, by every possible cause of death. The 2017 figures paint a fairly rosy picture for much of the world, with deaths due to gun violence rare even in many countries that are extremely poor — such as Bangladesh, which saw 0.07 deaths per 100,000 people.
Prosperous Asian countries such as Singapore and Japan boast the absolute lowest rates, though the United Kingdom and Germany are in almost as good shape.
"It is a little surprising that a country like ours should have this level of gun violence," Ali Mokdad, a professor of global health and epidemiology at the IHME, told NPR in an interview last year. "If you compare us to other well-off countries, we really stand out."
Don't see the graphic above? Click here
To be sure, there are quite a few countries where gun violence is a substantially larger problem than in the United States — particularly in Central America and the Caribbean. Mokdad said a major driver is the large presence of gangs and drug trafficking. "The gangs and drug traffickers fight among themselves to get more territory, and they fight the police," said Mokdad. And citizens who are not involved are often caught in the crossfire. Another country with widespread gun violence is Venezuela, which has been grappling with political unrest and an economic meltdown.
Don't see the graphic above? Click here
Mokdad said drug trafficking may also be a driving factor in two Asian countries that have unusually high rates of violent gun deaths for their region, the Philippines and Thailand.
Don't see the graphic above? Click here
With the casualties due to armed conflicts factored out, even in conflict-ridden regions such as the Middle East, the U.S. rate is worse.
Don't see the graphic above? Click here
The U.S. gun violence death rate is also higher than in nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including many that are among the world's poorest.
Don't see the graphic above? Click here
One more way to consider these data: The institute also estimates what it would expect a country's rate of gun violence deaths to be based solely on its socioeconomic status. By that measure, the U.S. should be seeing only 0.46 deaths per 100,000 people. Instead, its actual rate of 4.43 deaths per 100,000 is almost 10 times as high.
PLEASE CHECK OUT THE CHARTS!!! Guns were Made to Kill!
America must do right by her people. Make commonsense laws and enforce them. CM
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HAVE YOU SEEN THIS? CM
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@C_M_ said:
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS? CMYep, but nobody cares about the nonsense.
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How dare you speak of people's death as "nonsense"! You need to hold your tongue!!! Where is your heart???? Oh!!!! CM
PS. You need to take those words back, IMMEDIATELY! CM
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Oh, I so angry with you! CM
