The lack of a uniform definition of a mass shooting creates inconsistencies when reporting on mass shootings and when seeking to understand the true burden these shootings have on our society. Without a universal definition of a mass shooting, and without accurate data, we will not know the true burden of mass shootings. 10, 11, 12, 13 Notably, the Mother Jones definition leaves out mass shootings in private places, many of which may be linked to domestic violence or community gun violence, thus leading to a drastically smaller number of mass shootings recorded per year. There are stark differences in these definitions and thus differences in the number of mass shootings recorded. They define mass shootings as “indiscriminate rampages in public places resulting in four or more victims killed by the attacker” and they “exclude shootings stemming from more conventionally motivated crimes such as armed robbery or gang violence.” 10 Using this narrowed definition, Mother Jones found that there were only 10 mass shootings in 2019 and 118 from August 1982 through May 2020. Mother Jones is another data source that collects information on mass shootings in the United States.
8 The Gun Violence Archive (GVA), an online database for gun violence incidents in the United States, defines a mass shooting as “four or more shot and/or killed in a single event, at the same general time and location not including the shooter.” 9 Using GVA’s definition, there were 418 mass shootings in the United States in 2019 - more than one every single day. Given the lack of one commonly accepted definition of a mass shooting, the number of mass shootings recorded depends greatly on the definition used. Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Prevention.
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