debunking myths smaller
Here is an email I just got from Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Debunking myths is a hobby of mine, so I had to share:
I want to bring to your attention to an updated analysis we're releasing that shows there have been nearly two mass shootings per month in the United States between January 2009 and September 2013. The survey can be found here.
Using FBI data and media reports, our report describes the more than 90 mass shootings that have occurred in this nearly five-year period. The FBI defines a "mass shooting" as any incident where at least four people were murdered with a gun. The survey's findings reveal a different portrait of mass shootings in America than conventional wisdom and previous media coverage might suggest:
  • Mass shootings represent a small share of total U.S. firearm homicides. Less than 1 percent of gun murder victims recorded by the FBI in 2010 were killed in incidents with four or more victims.
  • Military-style assault weapons or high-capacity magazines were used in at least 15 percent of the incidents. These incidents resulted in an average of 151 percent more people shot and 63 percent more deaths than in other incidents.
  • There is a strong connection between mass shooting incidents and domestic or family violence. In at least 57 percent of the cases, the shooter killed a current or former spouse or intimate partner or other family member.
  • Contrary to rhetoric, gun-free zones are not the problem. In all, 67 percent of mass shooting incidents took place wholly in private residences, while no more than 15 percent took place entirely in public places that were so-called "gun-free zones."
  • Those who serve and protect us are frequently the victims of mass shootings. In 14 percent of the shootings, law enforcement or military officers were targeted in the shooting or killed or injured responding