CARSON CITY, Nev. – Mass shootings often are preventable – and a majority of the weapons were obtained legally, according to a comprehensive federally funded study released this week from The Violence Project.
Researchers found that shooters tend to have four things in common: they've experienced childhood trauma; they're at a crisis point or nurse a specific grievance; they study prior massacres and they have access to a firearm.
James Densley, a cofounder of The Violence Project, a co-author of the report and a professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, says people shouldn't despair – solutions are out there.
"A lot of times, we just write people off that bad things are going to happen,” he states. “And bad people are going to do bad things and there's nothing we can do about it.
“But actually our data is showing us that there's a lot of warning signs and there's a lot of actual opportunities for intervention if we have the right pieces in place."
The data show that 167 mass shootings have claimed 1,202 lives in the U.S. since 1966, with 20% of them in the last five years alone.
Nevada recently passed several policies recommended in the report – requiring background checks for gun purchases, banning bump stocks, and passing a red flag law that allows friends, family and law enforcement to petition a court to remove firearms from a person showing danger signs.
The mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017 remains the deadliest in U.S. history, with 58 lives lost.
Densley says while many shooters are motivated by racism, misogyny or religious hatred, the Vegas perpetrator may have been primarily seeking notoriety.
"The motives of that particular shooter are still a little bit unknown,” Densley states. “But in the last five years, we've seen an uptick in events which seem to have a fame-seeking motivation."
The report also found that most school shooters steal or borrow a weapon from a family member and that many are suicidal.
So, programs to encourage safe storage of firearms and efforts to help students who are struggling with suicidal thoughts are highly effective strategies for gun-violence prevention.
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One day after New Mexico Gov. Michele Lujan Grisham announced a ban on the public carry of guns in and around Albuquerque, a pro-gun group is suing.
The National Association for Gun Rights argues the order, announced Friday, is unconstitutional - based on a 2022 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court involving a case in New York.
The governor announced the gun-carry ban in Bernalillo County for the next 30 days, regardless of whether a permit had been issued.
She cited a need to take what she called a "tough, direct stand" after receiving daily phone calls and texts from those who see others with guns wherever they go.
"People with guns on the trails, people with guns and kids in their cars," said Grisham, "kids with guns in the parking lots at school, kids with guns at our parks, kids with guns in downtown Albuquerque."
The plaintiffs are asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order that would prevent it from taking effect.
Albuquerque, where the homicide rate has been on the rise in recent years, was ranked 17th among 70 of the largest cities for homicides in 2021 - according to a report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
The governor acknowledged last week that she expected a court challenge to the order, but added that she welcomed the debate and fight about how to make New Mexicans safer.
"If we send a very clear and strong message that what's happening in our state," said Grisham, "and particularly today, in the largest city - is unacceptable, we believe that we create safer situations."
The governor's directive has already been criticized by some conservatives, including Republican lawmakers in New Mexico, who said they plan to sue in federal court on grounds the order violates the state and U.S. constitutions.
A road-rage incident is blamed for the shooting death of an 11-year-old Albuquerque boy on September 6, as his family drove away from a city park.
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As Tennessee lawmakers continue in their special legislative session on public safety, mental health and gun reform, hundreds of groups and activists are protesting at the state Capitol demanding stronger gun reform.
Every day, 120 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded, according to the group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, co-lead for Tennessee legislative work for the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in Tennessee and the nation.
She added in this legislative session they have a call to action to lawmakers and Gov. Bill Lee for stronger gun-safety laws.
"The lifesaving bills that could be passed most likely will not even be brought up," McFadyen-Ketchum lamented. "We are more than disappointed. We're outraged that the people's voices are not being heard by our lawmakers and our governor, because the people want, they want this fixed."
McFadyen-Ketchum emphasized her group works daily to lower the death and injury rate in shootings in Tennessee and across the country. She added Moms Demand Action has more than 10 million supporters, with chapters in every state committed to saving lives.
McFadyen-Ketchum pointed out the governor's formal call for the special session makes no mention of gun reform, and the word "firearms" was only mentioned once. She noted Moms Demand Action would like to see more bills to protect children from gun violence.
"We had hoped, and what we need, is an extreme risk-protection order bill that would allow family members or law enforcement to temporarily separate someone at extreme risk for self-harm or harming others and their firearms," McFadyen-Ketchum urged. "That is not a part of the proclamation."
The Tennessee Lookout reports a list of bills in response to The Covenant School mass shooting died in committee and only three passed.
One of the three deals with safe storage of weapons and provides free firearm locks. McFadyen-Ketchum stressed the safe storage of firearms is one of many priorities for Moms Demand Action.
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Some 74% of young people in the United States believe gun violence is a problem and almost 60% want to see stricter gun laws, according to a new report from American University, Everytown for Gun Safety and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Researchers polled a nationally representative sample of more than 4,100 people ages 14 to 30. Wyatt Russell, senior program manager and policy analyst for the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, said this generation - raised in an era when mass shootings are common - says school safety is a major concern and is associated with negative mental-health outcomes.
"The average young person knows at least one other person who's been injured or killed by a gun," he said. "We've seen an astonishingly high 25% of youth have been in an active-shooter lockdown. Not a drill, a lockdown."
A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation also found that gun violence was the leading cause of death for kids in 2020 and 2021, more than any other type of injury or illness - the highest rate among large, wealthy nations.
Opponents of stricter gun laws cite concerns about personal freedom and self-defense.
Russell said the survey found that a young person's access to guns, identification with gun culture and exposure to media relating to guns correlated with support for male supremacy, belief that the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to overthrow the government, higher levels of racial resentment and post-traumatic-stress disorders.
"We're working to develop some inoculation strategies to help young people stop harmful myths and disinformation, conspiratorial thinking and supremacist ideologies that can influence gun violence," he said, "more specifically, extremist violence, as well."
Around 40% of young people in the survey said they have "somewhat easy" access to a gun, and 21% reported having "very easy" access.
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