How frequent are mass shootings in the USA? You might be surprised

StewartR

StewartR

Suspended / Banned
Messages
11,513
Name
Stewart
Edit My Images
Yes
I know I was.

If you don't know the answer, have a guess now and then check your answer:

https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsAreCool/wiki/2015massshootings

Technical footnote: in this list, "a mass shooting is when four or more people are shot in an event, or related series of events, likely without a cooling off period."

This definition is derived from the long standing FBI definition of "mass murder" but it removes medical care (which affects the outcome) from the action (shooting a bunch of people). I think that logic is compelling.

PS Please don't spoil the surprise for other people by posting the actual numbers here!
 
Last edited:
OMG............this will open a lot of peoples eyes
 
Last edited:
All I know is that I read somewhere this last week that there are more days with mass shootings than without them. It's absolutely ridiculous.
 
One is one too many. The general comparison figure is violent crimes per 100,000 people, then when filtering out corrections for definitions it is still high, but perhaps not as shockingly compared to listing it out. Human beings are violent creatures.
 
Life is violent as well as being selfish! Even some plants kill others to ensure their own survival.
 
I think this graphic is so very telling....

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence


dejongj said:
The general comparison figure is violent crimes per 100,000 people, then when filtering out corrections for definitions it is still high, but perhaps not as shockingly compared to listing it out. Human beings are violent creatures.
Click to expand...


There is a pretty accepted definition of a mass shooting that these use. If you're going to relate it generally to a per 100,000 people figure then you'd have to include all the shootings that don't count as 'mass' as well.
 
boyfalldown said:
I think this graphic is so very telling....

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence





There is a pretty accepted definition of a mass shooting that these use. If you're going to relate it generally to a per 100,000 people figure then you'd have to include all the shootings that don't count as 'mass' as well.
Click to expand...
I know, you'd have to take the violent crime figure as culturally violent crimes get executed in different ways around the globe...It makes more sense those as otherwise in isolation it is just a high number...
 
It just goes to show how ludicrous the argument is about gun control in America not being necessary... The gun lobby love their guns more than their children. Right to bear arms? Right to wipe out human beings when somebody wants to blame somebody else for their sorry state.
 
Last edited:
boyfalldown said:
I think this graphic is so very telling....
Click to expand...
And from that Graph
far less people have died in 1066 days (1,347 total)
than in RTA's in 365 days (2014) in the UK


The number of people killed in road accidents reported to the police increased by 4 per cent to 1,775 in 2014
http://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/safety#a1

So thats 2.9 years ( 1066 days)
RTA deaths x 2.9 =5147.5

I really think we should be cleaning up our own act before we criticise another nations laws.
I'm sure we can do something about fatal RTA's but
How ever much we bitch and whinge, there is b****r all we can do about the gun laws in the USA.
(I'm fairly sure that Obby isn't a member here)
 
Last edited:
Cobra said:
And from that Graph
far less people have died in 1066 days (1,347 total)
than in RTA's in 365 days (2014) in the UK


The number of people killed in road accidents reported to the police increased by 4 per cent to 1,775 in 2014
http://www.racfoundation.org/motoring-faqs/safety#a1

So thats 2.9 years ( 1066 days)
RTA deaths x 2.9 =5147.5

I really think we should be cleaning up our own act before we criticise another nations laws.
I'm sure we can do something about fatal RTA's but
How ever much we bitch and whinge, there is b****r all we can do about the gun laws in the USA.
(I'm fairly sure that Obby isn't a member here)
Click to expand...


All true. It's just an observation though, and never seen it represented that graphically. I hadn't realised the frequency.

It's a bit hard to relate uk RTAs to us gun violence though
 
Pretty much what I thought the number would be. I honestly had a conversation with someone in the us whilst in California with someone of the view there'd be less if more people had guns.
Now, I go shooting, couldn't quite agree with his views he was expressing. He was very surprised by our gun contrails. " that'll never work here..."
 
It's always stuck me as quite bizarre, there are far, far, far more Americans killed by Americans with American guns and yet they spend $BILLIONS on "Homeland" security and fighting wars to keep themselves "safe"
 
sirch said:
It's always stuck me as quite bizarre, there are far, far, far more Americans killed by Americans with American guns and yet they spend $BILLIONS on "Homeland" security and fighting wars to keep themselves "safe"
Click to expand...
It's OK for them to kill each other.
Being killed by a foreigner is considered poor form ;)
 
Ooooh is that what Twitter is? Posting random numbers? How fun!
Sesame Street for grown ups. :-)
 
boyfalldown said:
It's a bit hard to relate uk RTAs to us gun violence though
Click to expand...
I know its not comparing like for like, I was just showing far more people die in the UK from RTA's than being shot in the USA.
And yet "we" are all up in arms <sic> starting threads ( this isn't the first thread and I'm sure it won't be the last) about something we have no influence over, and yet,
no one seems to start them at the atrocities of death by car.

Of course the argument is, cars are necessary / are a life style choice / we couldn't live without them.
Having spent 6 months in South Dakota, I would also suggest all the above reasons apply to gun ownership out there.

Phil V said:
What an interesting take on this news
Background checks?
Click to expand...
The mind boggled :rolleyes:
 
Cobra said:
I know its not comparing like for like, I was just showing far more people die in the UK from RTA's than being shot in the USA.
And yet "we" are all up in arms <sic> starting threads ( this isn't the first thread and I'm sure it won't be the last) about something we have no influence over, and yet,
no one seems to start them at the atrocities of death by car.

Of course the argument is, cars are necessary / are a life style choice / we couldn't live without them.
Having spent 6 months in South Dakota, I would also suggest all the above reasons apply to gun ownership out there.


The mind boggled :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
It is a pretty pointless comparison.
You would need to compare accidental gun deaths to car accident deaths.
How many car deaths are deliberate though?
It would be interesting to compare USA car deaths to gun deaths.
 
Last edited:
Bobsyeruncle said:
It is a pretty pointless comparison.
Click to expand...
As I said there is b****r all we can do about something, thousands of miles away, and maybe something about something closer to home.
Death is death after all.
 
Cobra said:
And yet "we" are all up in arms <sic> starting threads (this isn't the first thread and I'm sure it won't be the last) about something we have no influence over...
Click to expand...
Hold on a sec. I started this thread and I'm not up in arms about it, or complaining about it, or campaigning about it, or anything. I just thought it was an interesting statistic and I thought other members of the community might also find it interesting.

Is that OK with you?
 
Cobra said:
As I said there is b****r all we can do about something, thousands of miles away, and maybe something about something closer to home.
Death is death after all.
Click to expand...
That's true,
But if you look at car deaths, the long term trend in the UK is a massive decrease, whereas USA gun deaths are doing the opposite.
 
StewartR said:
Hold on a sec. I started this thread and I'm not up in arms about it, or complaining about it, or campaigning about it, or anything. I just thought it was an interesting statistic and I thought other members of the community might also find it interesting.

Is that OK with you?
Click to expand...
"We" in quotes as per per generic we.
Hope that satisfy's your curiosity :thumbs:
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
That's true,
But if you look at car deaths, the long term trend in the UK is a massive decrease, .
Click to expand...
Curiously the the trend is up (4%) the past statistic year but a downward trend (45%) in the last decade.
Possibly a massive increase in the people becoming of age to drive?

Bobsyeruncle said:
whereas USA gun deaths are doing the opposite.
Click to expand...
This looks pretty static if not a downward trend.


m6227a1f3.gif



Looks like a massive decrease to me

mass.shootings.jpg
 
Cobra said:
I know its not comparing like for like, I was just showing far more people die in the UK from RTA's than being shot in the USA.
And yet "we" are all up in arms <sic> starting threads ( this isn't the first thread and I'm sure it won't be the last) about something we have no influence over, and yet,
no one seems to start them at the atrocities of death by car.

Of course the argument is, cars are necessary / are a life style choice / we couldn't live without them.
Having spent 6 months in South Dakota, I would also suggest all the above reasons apply to gun ownership out there.


The mind boggled :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


I'm not sure up in arms is fair. It's an observation, a scary one but like everything in OTF its chances of influence are exactly zero.

FYI those are only mass killings. Firearms deaths in the US run about 12k a year. Another scary but meaningless stat is that means since the mid 60s more people have died as a result of homegrown firearms violence then have died fighting as US serviceman in every war the US has fought in
 
boyfalldown said:
I'm not sure up in arms is fair
Click to expand...
Certainly not in this thread no, but again it was a generic term.
I'm sure your''ll agree that that there are a few that get very aggressive, certainly hot under the collar at the very least, in threads that mention guns, and then somehow try and relate it to gun ownership in this country,
and the fact that we all ( gun owners) are or at least have to potential to become murdering swine's.

boyfalldown said:
Another scary but meaningless stat is that means since the mid 60s more people have died as a result of homegrown firearms violence then have died fighting as US serviceman in every war the US has fought in
Click to expand...
Crazy isn't it?
 
Cobra said:
Curiously the the trend is up (4%) the past statistic year but a downward trend (45%) in the last decade.
Possibly a massive increase in the people becoming of age to drive?


This looks pretty static if not a downward trend.


m6227a1f3.gif



Looks like a massive decrease to me

mass.shootings.jpg
Click to expand...
Fair enough, just seems like it's getting worse :D
 
Cobra said:
I know its not comparing like for like, I was just showing far more people die in the UK from RTA's than being shot in the USA.
And yet "we" are all up in arms <sic> starting threads ( this isn't the first thread and I'm sure it won't be the last) about something we have no influence over, and yet,
no one seems to start them at the atrocities of death by car.

Of course the argument is, cars are necessary / are a life style choice / we couldn't live without them.
Having spent 6 months in South Dakota, I would also suggest all the above reasons apply to gun ownership out there.
Click to expand...
Not a relevant comparison. There is little dispute and no split like over gun deaths. Millions is spent on reducing road deaths and injuries by government, manufacturers and motorists. There is a lot of agreement about preventing deaths. And in the future, autonomous cars will hugely reduce deaths, despite some people's worries about moral dilemmas. People don't need convincing. Unlike those in the US who think the current slaughter is ok.

80 more families have now started grieving since the start of this thread.
 
Last edited:
Bobsyeruncle said:
Fair enough, just seems like it's getting worse :D
Click to expand...
As we know 99% of time, you can prove anything with statistics :D
And that is largely the problem again, people will find evidence on the internet to support their argument,
And then a counter argument ( statistics) is found.
Both sides fervently believe they are correct, war breaks out, name calling starts ...

ianp5a said:
And in the future, autonomous cars will hugely reduce deaths, despite some people's worries about moral dilemmas.
Click to expand...

God help us! I wouldn't say it was a moral dilemma more serious concerns what happens the the system goes tits up, or is hacked.
And we all know that bored kids sitting in their bedrooms are quite good at hacking.

BTW The ones they tested local to me had an accident :D
 
viv1969 said:
Ooooh is that what Twitter is? Posting random numbers? How fun!
Sesame Street for grown ups. :-)
Click to expand...
Thought since we were discussing numbers I'd post some others. It's no doubt that the us really need to look at gun control.
 
Cobra said:
As we know 99% of time, you can prove anything with statistics :D
And that is largely the problem again, people will find evidence on the internet to support their argument,
And then a counter argument ( statistics) is found.
Both sides fervently believe they are correct, war breaks out, name calling starts ...



God help us! I wouldn't say it was a moral dilemma more serious concerns what happens the the system goes tits up, or is hacked.
And we all know that bored kids sitting in their bedrooms are quite good at hacking.

BTW The ones they tested local to me had an accident :D
Click to expand...
Big deal. One accident with no fatalities. You are demonstrating my point admirably.

Sure there should be serious consideration. But to be against such an advance is missing the point. I can clearly see a benefit of reducing the deaths by 99%. But some get all excited that it's not 100%.

This will happen and lives will be saved and everyone will accept it as normal. Just like we do today.
 
Last edited:
ianp5a said:
But to be against such an advance
Click to expand...
I'm not against per se, but there is still far too much margin for human error they do have to be programmed after all.
and quite possibly updated regularly.
Once there is no chance of it being hacked, can you imagine if a terrorist hacked into our fully automated, transport system?

Once these things have been addressed I'll rest easy in my grave, because I'm sure that none of this will ever be possible in my life time.
 
Byker28i said:
Thought since we were discussing numbers I'd post some others. It's no doubt that the us really need to look at gun control.
Click to expand...
And Obama is ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top