According to a 2021 study published in the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, a staggering 73 percent of 139 mass shootings recorded worldwide between 1998 and 2019 occurred in the U.S.
While mass shootings make up just a tiny fraction of the nation’s gun deaths, they are inherently horrifying, happening without warning in the most ordinary places: nightclubs, churches, high schools, and supermarkets.
As far as defining mass shootings, different groups categorize them differently, depending on factors such as the number of victims, whether they are killed or injured, and whether the crime occurs in a public place.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll consider any single attack in a public place with three or more fatalities a mass shooting, the definition used by the FBI.
