Headline Roundup • February 19th, 2023
What Makes A Mass Shooting?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Many media outlets are reporting that there have been more mass shootings than days so far in 2023, but according to whom?
Differing Definitions: In 2013, the FBI defined mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are killed. Some groups and media sources count them differently, by including people who were injured in addition to those killed.
The Gun Violence Archive: Many center- and left-rated media outlets adhere to statistics from the Gun Violence Archive, an American research group. The GVA defines a mass shooting as “based ONLY on the numeric value of 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter.” The GVA reports there have been 73 mass shootings in America since the beginning of 2023.
Mainstream Coverage: Many left- and center-rated sources reported the GVA statistic as fact, and framed it as a dire sign for the state of gun laws and public safety.
An Alternate View: Wilfred Reilly of National Review questioned that definition, and pointed out that by the FBI standard, there have only been three mass shootings in the U.S. this year - MSU, Half Moon Bay, and Monterey Park. Reilly also argued that better enforcement of laws and "improved care of the mentally ill" will help reduce shootings.
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Dieu-Nalio Chery/Reuters
Another day, another mass shooting. Except — while we all mourn together for the victims of the very real Michigan State University tragedy — not exactly.
Immediately after the horrific February 13 attack on MSU’s East Lansing campus by armed lunatic Anthony McRae, who killed three students and critically wounded five others, the internet began to buzz with comments like this one, a tweet from political writer Jeff Tiedrich that went viral: “holy f***ing sh**, 67 mass shootings in the first 45 days of 2023! America’s door problem [a reference to the...
Barbara Davidson/Getty Images
The U.S. has already seen more than 70 mass shootings this year as of Wednesday morning. At this pace, the nation will see over 576 by the end of the year, an Axios analysis of the Gun Violence Archive found.
Why it matters: Five years after the Parkland massacre, a continued spate of mass shootings has reinforced a sense of helplessness and fear — especially in communities that were already at risk, or that have seen this violence up close.
By the numbers: Last year, the U.S. experienced 690 mass shootings, according to the...
Jae C. Hong/AP
The United States has totaled 67 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023.
Mass shootings are defined as an incident in which four or more victims are shot or killed, according to the archive.
Though mass shootings don’t make up the majority of gun violence incidents in America, their impact on communities and victims is evident.
Incidents like the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, continue to send cities into mourning and have sparked repeated calls for gun...
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