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Gun violence statistics -- mass shootings with assault weapons are rare

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Feb 20, 2022
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https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Using data from 2020, approx 45,000 died.

- 43% homicide, 54% suicide, 3% other
- Approx 1% accidental, 1% law enforcement, 1% undetermined
- Mass shootings, while not consistently defined, would seem to represent between .1% and 1% of total gun deaths depending on definition.
- Gun types used in homicides: 59% handgun, 3% rifle, 1% shotgun. The rest, undetermined.
- Current murder/suicide rates are near peaks previously seen in the 70s and 90s. (notably: 2000 - 2014 was a relatively low number period)

Observations:
This data confirmed what I thought to be true: murders with assault weapons leading to mass casualties in public places represent a very small proportion of total gun homicides. They're just much more highly visible and "scary" to the greater public due to their seemingly random nature in places you wouldn't expect to see them. Despite their low (relative) numbers, they have an outsized effect on people's attitudes towards gun violence.

The vast majority of gun homicides are effectively "out of sight out of mind" scenarios with more mundane weapons. Probably concentrated in communities with lower socio-economic status. (and thus don't get much attention)

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
 
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Good information. Unfortunately, the opinions of most people are driven by viral events. They generalize these events and believe that they represent the entirety of a given subject. Essentially, they're idiots.
 
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https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Using data from 2020, approx 45,000 died.

- 43% homicide, 54% suicide, 3% other
- Approx 1% accidental, 1% law enforcement, 1% undetermined
- Mass shootings, while not consistently defined, would seem to represent between .1% and 1% of total gun deaths depending on definition.
- Gun types used in homicides: 59% handgun, 3% rifle, 1% shotgun. The rest, undetermined.
- Current murder/suicide rates are near peaks previously seen in the 70s and 90s. (notably: 2000 - 2014 was a relatively low number period)

Observations:
This data confirmed what I thought to be true: murders with assault weapons leading to mass casualties in public places represent a very small proportion of total gun homicides. They're just much more highly visible and "scary" to the greater public due to their seemingly random nature in places you wouldn't expect to see them. Despite their low (relative) numbers, they have an outsized effect on people's attitudes towards gun violence.

The vast majority of gun homicides are effectively "out of sight out of mind" scenarios with more mundane weapons. Probably concentrated in communities with lower socio-economic status. (and thus don't get much attention)

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
So . . . you're saying that we should be strengthening gun control laws to tackle all these other deaths, too, and not just to try to cut back on school shootings and other mass shootings.

Right?
 
Good information. Unfortunately, the opinions of most people are driven by viral events. They generalize these events and believe that they represent the entirety of a given subject. Essentially, they're idiots.
I'm for anything that saves the life of 1 student or 1 grocery shopper. Or in your words, 1 viral event that didn't happen.
 
So . . . you're saying that we should be strengthening gun control laws to tackle all these other deaths, too, and not just to try to cut back on school shootings and other mass shootings.

Right?

Yeah, get gun homicides down of all nature. Depends on the solution.

I guess you could argue that mass shootings are more psychologically impactful on more people. Some of them contain properties of terrorism. So perhaps it's OK they get more attention. Perhaps useful reform for all homicides will flow from our addressing mass shootings.

Flip side of the coin... perhaps those solutions don't prove to be very useful in preventing the majority of gun homicides.
 
Narrative is changing from the right this time. I truly think something meaningful will come out of this to get assault weapons and high capacity magazines off the table.

As a kid, I don’t remember ever seeing anything remotely close to the level of these things being used today. No one’s sporting hobbies are worth this.
 
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Statistics and narratives don’t line up very well.
What statistics, what narrative? Who is making whatever argument/case you think is being made in reaction to Ulvade? Just because in this country by this country's insane standards murders by mass shootings with automatic weapons are a small percentage of overall gun murders doesn't mean it's a minor problem and we shouldn't do something about it!

JFC, WTF. I live in the dumbest possible country and dumbest possible timeline. Just because there are way too many gun homicides overall (again--in the developed world no other country is even close to us) doesn't mean that we can't at least start by trying to eliminate the low-hanging fruit mayhem caused by semi and fully automatic military weapons.

Again, WTF? So many idiots, so much idiocy.
 
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Using data from 2020, approx 45,000 died.

- 43% homicide, 54% suicide, 3% other
- Approx 1% accidental, 1% law enforcement, 1% undetermined
- Mass shootings, while not consistently defined, would seem to represent between .1% and 1% of total gun deaths depending on definition.
- Gun types used in homicides: 59% handgun, 3% rifle, 1% shotgun. The rest, undetermined.
- Current murder/suicide rates are near peaks previously seen in the 70s and 90s. (notably: 2000 - 2014 was a relatively low number period)

Observations:
This data confirmed what I thought to be true: murders with assault weapons leading to mass casualties in public places represent a very small proportion of total gun homicides. They're just much more highly visible and "scary" to the greater public due to their seemingly random nature in places you wouldn't expect to see them. Despite their low (relative) numbers, they have an outsized effect on people's attitudes towards gun violence.

The vast majority of gun homicides are effectively "out of sight out of mind" scenarios with more mundane weapons. Probably concentrated in communities with lower socio-economic status. (and thus don't get much attention)

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
When it comes to public policy responses to prevent events like in Uvalde, who GAF?
 
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Good information. Unfortunately, the opinions of most people are driven by viral events. They generalize these events and believe that they represent the entirety of a given subject. Essentially, they're idiots.
To a point. If you’re talking about any kind of criminal/dangerous/harmful event on a percentage basis of human interactions/activity in this world, they’re all rare. That doesn‘t mean we don’t strive to be better.

A school shooting like we saw last week is due to a series of catastrophic failures:
  • Someone who shouldn’t have had a gun had a gun
  • The school was not properly secured
  • The school resource officer was not present (per reports I’ve seen)
  • LEOs did not enter for a significant amount of time to try to get kids out
Why wouldn’t we look at all of these areas to try to improve?
 
To a point. If you’re talking about any kind of criminal/dangerous/harmful event on a percentage basis of human interactions/activity in this world, they’re all rare. That doesn‘t mean we don’t strive to be better.

A school shooting like we saw last week is due to a series of catastrophic failures:
  • Someone who shouldn’t have had a gun had a gun
  • The school was not properly secured
  • The school resource officer was not present (per reports I’ve seen)
  • LEOs did not enter for a significant amount of time to try to get kids out
Why wouldn’t we look at all of these areas to try to improve?

The OP posted valid information that the media isn't currently pushing. And hasn't been. That's all I'm saying. "Improve" all that you want. But, don't lose sight of the truth.
 
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The OP posted valid information that the media isn't currently pushing. And hasn't been. That's all I'm saying. "Improve" all that you want. But, don't lose sight of the truth.
19 kids went to school and didn’t come home and the story should be that this is rare and at least it doesn’t happen more often?
 
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Statistics and narratives don’t line up very well.
Statistics often don’t tell the entire story. I am thankful that “mass shootings” ( a term even the pollster didn’t define for this story) only adds between .1 to 1% of the numbers...can you imagine the outrage if these numbers were doubled to .2 to 2%? Hell, everyone would want to become an undertaker.
Anyone who tries to rationalize 21, 50 and 26 folks killed in schools byusing stTistics is in’s sick son of a bitch. These school shootings are madness, inexcusable! We have tried a lot of things but we haven’t tried banning the selling of “military type” assault long Guns or handguns. Maybe That is what the next direction of “gun control” should be....ban sale of these types of weapons from the general public.
What we are doing currently ain’t close to working.
 
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Statistics often don’t tell the entire story. I am thankful that “mass shootings” ( a term even the pollster didn’t define for this story) only adds between .1 to 1% of the numbers...can you imagine the outrage if these numbers were doubled to .2 to 2%? Hell, everyone would want to become an undertaker.
Anyone who tries to rationalize 21, 50 and 26 folks killed in schools byusing stTistics is in’s sick son of a bitch. These school shootings are madness, inexcusable! We have tried a lot of things but we haven’t tried banning the selling of “military type” assault long Guns or handguns. Maybe That is what the next direction of “gun control” should be....ban sale of these types of weapons from the general public.
What we are doing currently ain’t close to working.
I’m not rationalizing anything….the school shooting was absolutely horrible.
 

I guess for me these mass shootings just shine at light at how completely inept and unacceptable gun regulations are in this country. And the only thing that makes me more angry is the answer being locking down school and arming teachers.

I’m struggling to find a metaphor… but it’s like pulling together data on toxic waste and how only 1% of those deaths impacted children, but that’s all the media focuses on and “they have an outsized effect on people's attitudes towards toxic waste”. How insulting.

I would actually be fine with banning all guns. I would also be fine splitting the country in half and moving to the gun free side… if nothing else I’d love to see the doors the other side is going to use.
 
Last edited:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Using data from 2020, approx 45,000 died.

- 43% homicide, 54% suicide, 3% other
- Approx 1% accidental, 1% law enforcement, 1% undetermined
- Mass shootings, while not consistently defined, would seem to represent between .1% and 1% of total gun deaths depending on definition.
- Gun types used in homicides: 59% handgun, 3% rifle, 1% shotgun. The rest, undetermined.
- Current murder/suicide rates are near peaks previously seen in the 70s and 90s. (notably: 2000 - 2014 was a relatively low number period)

Observations:
This data confirmed what I thought to be true: murders with assault weapons leading to mass casualties in public places represent a very small proportion of total gun homicides. They're just much more highly visible and "scary" to the greater public due to their seemingly random nature in places you wouldn't expect to see them. Despite their low (relative) numbers, they have an outsized effect on people's attitudes towards gun violence.

The vast majority of gun homicides are effectively "out of sight out of mind" scenarios with more mundane weapons. Probably concentrated in communities with lower socio-economic status. (and thus don't get much attention)

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Plane crashes are "rare", too.

But we regulate and control the shit out of the production, maintenance, security, training and operations in that industry.
 
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