There is a grim and prevalent trend seen across the United States, mass shootings. In addition to the highly publicized shooting that took place in a Brooklyn subway car on April 12, there have been 3 mass shootings in the U.S. over Easter weekend. The attack left almost 30 people injured.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 154 mass shootings in the United States this year. Many of the shootings on this list failed to even make national news.
What is a mass shooting?
The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people are shot, not including the shooter. As of April 23, there have been 21 more mass shootings following the attacks on a Brooklyn subway car on April 12.
Public Tension
Public distress is growing in the U.S. after repeated deadly incidents occur all over the country. These incidents have happened everywhere from Louisiana to California to Washington D.C., three locations with highly varied gun ownership legislation.
Public distress is growing in the U.S. after repeated deadly incidents occur all over the country. These incidents have happened everywhere from Louisiana to California to Washington D.C., three locations with highly varied gun ownership legislation.
Activities as simple as commuting to work, going to the mall, movie theatre or a house party are now overshadowed by a nagging sense of danger. While officials have stated that many of these shootings have stemmed from disputes between groups that have occurred in public areas, data shows that the number of shootings that have occurred compared to before the pandemic started is up significantly.
Nola.com’s headline after one deadly weekend in northern Louisianna read, “ ‘Like a war zone’: 6 killed, 12 wounded in New Orleans’ bloodiest weekend in 10 years.” 15 calls for assistance related to shootings occurred in a 72-hour time period.
Despite the shootings listed above receiving more attention than single-victim shootings, April M. Zeoli, an associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University states that single-victim shootings are far more common. “Many, many more people die per day, per month, per year, in homicides that do not meet the level of mass shootings than people who are shot in mass shootings,” said Zeoli.
To some city officials, the pandemic offers an explanation for the escalation in violence. Stress and anger from loss of jobs, unstable finances and lack of social connection have frustrated many across the nation. With summer approaching, officials also fear an increase in attacks due to increased social gatherings. Gun violence is a complex issue that varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, not to mention the politics of legislators in this country.
