Mass Shootings in America: Causes, Statistics, and Prevention

Introduction

Mass shootings in America have become more prevalent than ever before. Depending on how one defines "mass shooting," the number of such incidents in America in a given year can range anywhere from half a dozen to more than 200. Even at the strictest definition, half a dozen is too many. In one recent week alone, two mass shootings occurred back-to-back on opposite sides of the country — one in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people died, and one in Dayton, Ohio, where 9 died. As the nation becomes, to a degree, desensitized to the violence year after year — whether it is the Parkland shooting, the Virginia Beach shooting, the Orlando shooting, or the Las Vegas shooting — one still wonders what can be done to address this issue. Some believe stricter gun laws are needed. Others believe it is fundamentally a mental health issue. This paper defines the term "mass shooting," describes two recent mass shootings in the U.S., examines the statistics, and identifies some possible ways to prevent such events in the future.

What Is a Mass Shooting?

While there is no universally accepted definition of "mass shooting," the term is widely acknowledged to include any shooting in which there are multiple victims of firearm-related violence. The U.S. Congressional Research Service has defined the term as including any public mass shooting in which the shooter targets four or more people at random and kills them (Bagalman, Caldwell, Finklea & McCallion, 2013). This definition aligns with the FBI's definition of mass murder (Morton, 2010). As Evon (2019) observes, "according to the FBI, the term 'mass murder' has been defined generally as a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered, within one event, and in one or more locations in close geographical proximity." This definition is typically used when referencing mass shootings; however, it is by no means a universal standard, and most mass shootings that receive significant media attention involve at least several dead or wounded.

The El Paso and Dayton Shootings

In El Paso, Texas, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius opened fire with an assault rifle in a shopping mall parking lot before entering a Walmart and shooting more victims there. He killed 22 people in all and wounded dozens more (Blankstein & Burke, 2019). The shooting was described as an act of hatred toward Mexican immigrants, though the attack was entirely random and did not target Mexicans exclusively. Three Mexican citizens were killed in the rampage in El Paso — a border town — and the remaining victims were Americans (Blankstein & Burke, 2019). The shooter left behind a manifesto that analysts stated was inspired, in part, by political rhetoric surrounding illegal immigration. Crusius had driven more than 600 miles from his Dallas suburb to open fire in El Paso. He surrendered to police after leaving the scene in his car and stopping on the highway upon seeing a motorcycle officer. Crusius exited his vehicle with his arms raised, confessed, and surrendered immediately (Pasquini & Hanlon, 2019).

Crusius had apparently already published "a four-page manifesto filled with racist language and hatred for immigrants on 4chan and 8chan forums" explaining his reasons for the attack (Chastain, 2019). The manifesto included the following words: "In general, I support the Christchurch shooter and his manifesto. This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion" (Chastain, 2019). Crusius's identification with the Christchurch, New Zealand, mass shooting — in which the perpetrator targeted Muslim worshippers — confirms that the motivation behind the El Paso attack was racially driven.

Beyond his stated desire to stop immigration into the United States, Crusius most likely exhibited traits of anti-social personality disorder. People who knew him described him as "standoffish" and "an extreme loner, who always sat alone on the bus in junior high and high school" and who "spoke negatively of other kids who played sports or joined the school band" (Chastain, 2019). Reports from former schoolmates and details about his family background — including a broken family, a father with substance abuse issues, and a mother with abandonment issues — suggest that Crusius likely suffered from significant mental health problems (Chastain, 2019).

The Dayton shooter presented a very different profile. Rather than holding right-wing views, 24-year-old Connor Betts expressed radical left-wing opinions: he posted pro-Antifa messages on his Twitter account, expressed support for political candidates including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and wrote on his profile page, "I'm going to hell and I'm not coming back" (Durden, 2019). Betts attacked a popular entertainment area of Dayton's Oregon District at 1 a.m. using an AR-15-style assault rifle and a 100-round drum magazine (De La Garza & Zennie, 2019). The shooter apparently targeted his own sister, who was the first to be shot and killed. Betts then stepped out of the alley from which he had been firing and proceeded on foot. Half a dozen officers at the scene ran toward the gunfire and returned fire. Within 30 seconds of Betts's first shots, he had been killed by police — but had already managed to kill 9 people and wound a dozen more (De La Garza & Zennie, 2019). Unlike the El Paso shooting, racial animus does not appear to have been a significant motivation; rather, Betts's actions seem to have stemmed from a generalized anti-social hatred — beginning, apparently, with his own family.

Betts had self-diagnosed as bipolar and believed he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to people who knew him (Woods, 2019). According to a former girlfriend, Betts had wanted to improve his mental health but was afraid of the stigma associated with mental illness. She maintained that he was not acting from any ideological motivation but rather from an uncontrollable impulse rooted in his mental health struggles, which at times caused him to want to lash out and harm others (Woods, 2019).

Conclusion

The problem of gun violence and mass shootings in the United States continues to worsen. Restricting access to firearms may appear to be a practical solution, but it faces profound political and practical obstacles. Medications such as SSRIs address the symptoms of mental illness rather than its underlying causes, and their effects can be dangerously unpredictable. A meaningful solution must address root causes — including the cultural and familial conditions that allow such individuals to fall through the cracks. Real progress will require not just policy changes, but a broader commitment to community, family engagement, and mental health support at every level of American society.