Tag Archives: mass shootings

Random Mass Perspectives

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Mass public shootings (MPS) are not random, despite appearances. Though the Gun Facts Project has uncovered some amazing insights about these events, some induced downtime gave us leisure to explore niches in the MPS data… and we uncovered some new perspectives. The Big Database Bust At Gun Facts, we have an internal project to warehouse crime data and other data for rapid recall and creative exploration. During the conceptualization phase, the project was jokingly named “Data Whore.” Unfortunately, the name stuck. We had loaded the old FBI Uniform Crime Reports going back to the 1980s with county-level demographic and population numbers, had built a few handy data views (SQL views for our fellow geeks), and more. Then the database crashed, got massively corrupted, and led to a week-long recovery and migration to a new database technology that isn’t as prone to failure under massive operations (we were deleting 22M rows … Continue reading →

Direct Exposure to Nonsense

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There is weak research, improper research, and misleading research. Then there is stupid research, which often incorporates all of the above. We recently encountered what can charitably be described as stupid gun research of a variety where common sense appears to be a foreign concept to the authors. JAMA That In Your Pipe And Smoke It Yet again the Journal of the American Medical Association committed criminology malpractice. In this case, the corpse of intellectual reason was slayed by a paper titled Direct Exposure to Mass Shootings Among US Adults. We would normally just put a new entry on our Bad Research Roster page, which you should reference any time someone lobs a “study” at you. But this piece of work (or piece of something) was so deeply defective and comical, it calls for a blog entry to not only inform you, but teach how to detect industrial-grade buncombe. The … Continue reading →

Gun Violence Archive Assessment

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The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is not a gold-standard data source. It isn’t even a reliable source. Yet it is commonly, and tragically, cited by people in the media who don’t know enough about gun violence data and criminology to understand why they should avoid citing GVA. We’ll attempt to clarify that. Take-aways about GVA History of data quality issues Incomplete scope of data Invents terms that do not comport with established definitions No transparency on operations and methods What the Heck is GVA? According to some, GVA is a real-time database of gun violence and an important research tool. To others it is an insult to serious researchers and a detriment to public education, and a naked agitprop tool. The truth is in between.

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Mass Attacks – Broadly Reviewed

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Mass stabbings don’t get as much media attention as mass shootings. Likewise for mass burnings, drownings or hit-and-runs. Since guns are the weapon in 73% of mass attacks, understanding mass attacks of all types might be key to preventing mass shootings. The federal government has studied this. Take-aways Non-gun mass attackers are not different than gun mass attackers. Changes in behavior precede stressors, the latter triggering attacks. The mental health community is letting at-risk people fail. Mass public attack stats The National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), oddly a function of the Secret Service, cataloged five years of mass public attacks, which they define as when three or more people (not including perpetrators) were harmed in public or semi-public places. Like the Violence Project’s work on mass public shootings, NTAC looked deeply into the perpetrators’ lives, motives, modus operandi and more. It is important research for two reasons: motives of mass … Continue reading →

Mass Shootings, Private and Public

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Even sullied terms can be analyzed. We came across a quality study that looks at “mass [not-just-public] shootings” and paints a not-quite-alarming story. Main Take-aways As defined more broadly herein: Mass shootings are not steadily increasing and are decreasing as a function of population. Most mass shootings are in private residences and are “family related.” Assault weapons are a minority share of guns used. A third of assailants had mental health issues, higher than the general population but lower than mass public. Mass shootings can have a profound impact on an individual’s mental health, whether directly affected or not. The senseless violence and loss of life can cause individuals to feel anxious, depressed, or traumatized. For some, it may trigger feelings of grief, anger, and helplessness. In the aftermath of a mass shooting, it’s important to seek professional help if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Many detox locations … Continue reading →