Justice Department study examines domestic mass shootings

The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has released study findings regarding traits of persons who engaged in mass shootings between 1966 and 2019.

“This study — one of the most extensive assessments of mass violence to date—reveals a deeply unsettling trend: more Americans are dying at the hands of mass shooters than at any point in recent history,” OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon said. “This analysis paints a portrait of shooters, giving us a better idea of who commits these crimes and helping us detect the warning signals for these appalling acts of violence.”

Domestic mass shootings increased during the studied time frame, with more than half occurring after 2000, while 20 percent occurred during the last five years of the study period.

Additionally, the findings showed mass shooting deaths have risen. In the 1970s, mass shootings claimed an average of eight lives per year, while from 2010 to 2019, the average rose to an average of 51 deaths annually.

The study garnered data from open sources that included social media sites and online newspapers, the justice system, and the research community of who mass shooters are and what motivates them.

The work covered 172 mass public shooters and addressed 150 psychosocial history variables such as mental health histories, past trauma, interest in prior shootings, and situational triggers.