US Mass Killings to Hit Record Low in 2025: Report

Seventeen mass shootings occurred in the US in 2025 from January through November, anticipating the lowest annual number ever recorded by a database that started in 2006.

The Details: The database, run by Associated Press (Left bias) and USA Today (Lean Left) in partnership with Northeastern University, found "mass killings were down about 24% this year compared to 2024, which was also about a 20% drop compared to 2023." Media across the political spectrum gave voice to Northeastern Criminologist James Alan Fox, who suggested the decline is likely a representation of "regression to the mean" – a return to more average levels following an upward or downward statistical spike.

For Context: The database defines mass killings as "incidents in which four or more people are killed in a 24-hour period, not including the killer." The highest number of mass killings recorded by the database is 46 in 2019.

AP's Report: AP framed its coverage more negatively, stating, "Experts warn that the drop doesn't necessarily mean safer days are here to stay." Its lede was centered around the mass shooting at a child's birthday party in California last weekend that marked the 17th mass killing this year. It quoted a professor who said, "Because there's only a few dozen mass killings in a year, a small change could look like a wave or a collapse." AP also highlighted potential drawbacks in the database's definition of a mass killing, citing the Annunciation School shooting in Minnesota in August that injured over 20 but killed two – disqualifying it from the definition. The outlet noted, "About 82% of this year's mass killings involved a firearm. Since 2006, 3,234 people have died in mass killings – and 81% of them were shooting victims."

From The Left: Multiple outlets in the center and on the left republished the AP report. Axios' (Lean Left) independent report framed the data as being in line with "a broader cooling of violent crime across the US following pandemic-era spikes." Similarly to the AP report, it asserted, "While mass killings fell this year to date, that statistic alone does not necessarily fully capture [the] grim reality of gun violence in the US." It mentioned another database, The Gun Violence Archive, that more broadly defined 381 mass shootings in the US so far in 2025. However, it optimistically noted "progress on initiatives targeting gun violence, such as those driven by a 2022 bipartisan gun safety bill signed into law by former President [Joe] Biden."

From The Right: Washington Examiner (Lean Right) was the only mainstream outlet on the right that AllSides found to independently cover the report, and few outlets on the right republished the AP report. The Examiner took a different approach in its reporting, giving voice to FBI Director Kash Patel's praise for President Donald Trump and his efforts to combat domestic crime. It also noted, "The Trump administration said it would take action in August of this year to investigate the motivations of mass shooters," along with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's assertion that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would look into the relationship between violence and prescription drugs.

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