Article

Public Mass Shooters and Firearms: A Cross-National Study of 171 Countries

January 2016
Violence and Victims 31(2)

Authors:

University of Alabama

Objective: Model the global distribution of public mass shooters around the world. Method: Negative binomial regression is used to test the effects of homicide rates, suicide rates, firearm ownership rates, and several control variables on public mass shooters per country from 1966 to 2012. Results: The global distribution of public mass shooters appears partially attributable to cross-national differences in firearms availability but not associated with cross-national homicide or suicide rates. Conclusion: The United States and other nations with high firearm ownership rates may be particularly susceptible to future public mass shootings, even if they are relatively peaceful or mentally healthy according to other national indicators.

Tiroteos en masa y efecto imitador: Prevalencia global fuera de los Estados Unidos (1999-2022)

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2025

El presente estudio examina los tiroteos masivos en que se encuentra presente el “efecto de imitación”, con la excepción de los llevados a cabo en Estados Unidos, durante el periodo 1999-2022. Dicho fenómeno concurre cuando los autores de un tiroteo masivo copian el modus operandi de ataques anteriores, los cuales se proyectan como modelo. La muestra del estudio incluye 21 casos de imitación, ejecutados en 9 países. El estudio revela que estos crímenes son perpetrados por hombres, con edades inferiores a los 34 años, de forma predominante en entornos escolares y los autores suelen concluir con el suicidio. Los resultados empíricos también revelan que en los países en los que estos casos son más frecuentes, también se fijan modelos de referencia para tiradores posteriores. En conclusión, el escaso número de comportamientos de imitación no impide que estos sucesos sean objeto de estudio, especialmente en una época en la que internet y los medios de comunicación contribuyen a su constante globalización.

MASS MURDERS WITH GUN WEAPONS IN MODERN RUSSIA МАССОВЫЕ УБИЙСТВА С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ ОГНЕСТРЕЛЬНОГО ОРУЖИЯ В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИИ

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2023

In the last 30 years, there has been increased interest in mass murders (MM; with three or more victims) among a wide range of specialists in many countries of the world. The aim is to study MM with the use of firearms in the Russian Federation and compare various types of MM, including MM weapons with each other. Materials and methods. We analyzed 129 crimes (142 men, 1 women) committed with the use of firearms in the Russian Federation in 1991-2022. The age of the killers ranged from 16 to 70 (mean age is 34.3±15.1). Most of the cases of “mass shooting” were taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_ in_Russia, as well as from electronic media of 59 regions of the Russian Federation. The comparison groups included 288 cases of MM, 177 cases committed with piercing objects (PO), 36 cases of arson, and 75 other instruments, including a combination of these. The latter group also included 11 cases of the use of firearms in combination with PO (6), blunt weapons (2) and arson (3). Mathematical and statistical processing was carried out using descriptive statistics and χ2 distribution. Results. Over the time period studied, electronic media began to cover incidents with multiple victims significantly more frequently. Approximately every fourth (24.8%) case out of 129 incidents occurred in security forces (armed forces, law enforcement agencies, penitentiary services) using a Kalashnikov assault rifle while on combat duty or guard duty. In most cases, murders were committed with civilian firearms (most often hunting rifles), in isolated cases – with unregistered civilian firearms, service firearms, and military handguns; seven cases occurred in groups of 2–4 people. There were 593 victims (on average 4.59±3.6 victims), the majority of cases had three deaths (53.2%). In our proposed working typology of MM, we distinguish: corporate MM (in law enforcement agencies; in educational institutions; in other organizations), non-corporate MM (acquaintances, friends, neighbors, etc.; strangers; acquaintances and strangers), family MM (relatives and friends (family members), blood and non-blood relatives) and mixed MM (victims from two or three of the above groups). Corporate MM is distinguished by the use of firearms, most often committed in law enforcement agencies and educational institutions. The largest number of victims (6.0±3.7) occurred in corporate MM, especially those that occurred in the academic environment 13.3±5.9 victims). Non-corporate MM was more often committed by PO and other instruments. Among aggressors who used firearms, there were more people aged 19 and younger (20.3% vs 5.9% in the comparison group), they were less likely to drink alcohol (22.0% vs 56.3%) but more likely to commit suicides after MM (31.4% vs 7.3%). Conclusion. Cases of MM with the use of firearms in the Russian Federation were more often observed in security (paramilitary) and training (educational) corporations with the largest number of victims (from 3 to 18, on average – 6). They were less likely than other aggressors to be intoxicated, but more often committed suicide after MM. Media coverage increased significantly from 1991 to 2022 cover incidents with multiple victims, which may indicate an increase in the number of MM in Russia.

Public mass shootings in developed countries: uncovering stability and change at the turn of the century

Article

Oct 2023
Global Crime

Jason R. Silva

This study examines the stability and change in public mass shootings in developed countries outside of the United States (2000-2021). Public mass shootings refer to incidents involving public/populated locations, random/symbolic victims, and at least four fatalities. Results identified an increase in the frequency of attacks in developed countries, although particularly deadly incidents remained relatively consistent. Offenders were commonly and consistently male, middle-aged, single, and diagnosed with a mental illness. Incidents often involved handguns, more than one firearm, and open-area locations. Offenders were often motivated by a desire for fame; although, early fame-seekers were younger, school shooters, while recent offenders had far-right ideological beliefs. Other changes included an increase in offenders obtaining their firearms illegally, using assault rifles, diversifying their target locations, and being shot and killed. This provides the first step for understanding mass shooting trends in the often-overlooked developed countries outside of the United States.

Advancing Understanding of Global Mass Murder: A Comparison of Public Mass Stabbings and Shootings

Article

Jul 2023
HOMICIDE STUD

Jason R. Silva

Previous studies of global mass murder focus on public mass shootings, but there is little known about incidents involving other weapon types. To fill this gap in research, this study examines public mass stabbings and compares them with public mass shootings around the world (1999-2022). Findings identify significant differences in the geographic locations, target locations, offenders' age and resolution, and number of victim casualties that illustrate these are unique forms of mass murder. This work provides the next step toward advancing knowledge of global mass murder and paves the way for future research aimed at understanding and addressing the phenomenon.

Mass Shootings: Defining by Numbers and the Implications for Policy

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Public Mass shootings shock, disturb and provoke enormous and controversial debate, often causing significant public and media resonance/reaction, becoming the subject of intense discussion in political culture (Böckler et al, 2013). At times they provide an impetus for legislative amendments to European frameworks and policies (Duquet, 2016; Hurka, 2017), often in distinct ways that routine gun violence does not. Certain mass shootings can be seen to be 'signal crimes', acts that change the way people and institutions think about safety and security (Innes, 2004). This can be seen in the cases of Hungerford, Dunblane and Antwerp for example, where legislative/policy change occurred as a result of the incidents. Conversely, there are some mass shootings that despite also resulting in multiple deaths, generate nothing other than an intensely short-lived media response, with no change to legislation/policy, leading us to question: what events matter under what circumstances. Research Aims This paper presents an outline of a research project that explores public mass shootings, how they are framed and conceptualised and how this shapes policy change across Europe. The 1 Sarah is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the Professional Policing degree at Staffordshire University. Sarah is currently a part-time PhD researcher examining mass shootings across Europe and what factors contribute to policy change. Sarah has published a paper in Criminology and Criminal Justice; a chapter that explores the impact of firearms on society and development; and she also produced content for the UN Office of Drugs and Crime Education 4 Justice firearms programme. 69 research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the nature and extent of mass shootings in different European countries. It examines historical data, statistics, and case studies to analyse patterns, trends, and variations. Understanding how mass shootings are defined and categorised is crucial when assessing how they are framed and responded to. This involved examining definitions, legal frameworks, and differences in stances to shed light on the factors that influence the understanding and perception of mass shootings in varying contexts. Mass shootings research frequently focuses on the psychological profile of the perpetrator, their social isolation, masculinity, mental ill health, consumption of violent media (Krach, 1999) and the role of the media in the portrayal of mass shootings. There is little exploration of the impact of mass shootings on firearms policy (for exceptions see Doran, 2014 and Hurka, 2017). The research utilises a blended approach to provide a criminological evaluation of key scholarly debates, policymaking and modification following mass shootings, intertwined with qualitative interviews. The research delves into the policymaking processes and legislative responses that follow mass shootings in Europe. By analysing existing laws, regulations, and policy measures that are implemented in different countries, it provides insights into the approaches and strategies employed to address mass shootings. This exploration helps to uncover similarities, differences, and evolving practices across Europe. The final objective focuses on opening a conversation and narrative surrounding responses to mass shootings. It involves analysing media coverage, public discourse, and societal reactions to gain a comprehensive understanding of perspectives on mass shootings. By exploring diverse viewpoints, the research sheds light on the societal, cultural, and political factors that shape responses to these incidents.

Mass Shootings as a Global Phenomenon

Chapter

Nov 2023

Jason R. Silva

There has been extensive media coverage, public concern, and calls for action surrounding mass shootings in the United States at the turn of the 21st century. To address this concern, there is a growing body of research aimed at understanding and remedying this problem in America. However, recent attacks around the world—like the Kerch Polytechnic College shooting in Ukraine, the Christchurch Mosque shooting in New Zealand, and the Suzano School shooting in Brazil—illustrate that mass shootings are a global phenomenon. To this end, it is critical for research to shed light on this troubling and complex issue and contribute to a more informed public and scholarly discourse on mass shootings and their impact around the world. To understand the global problem, it is necessary to evaluate the prevalence of incidents across countries, mass shooter backgrounds and profiles, and common locations targeted during these attacks. To address this phenomenon, it is important to consider strategies for prevention and harm mitigation, including instituting responsible gun legislation, addressing warning signs and leakage, implementing situational crime prevention measures, and advancing law enforcement responses.

Introduction to the special issue on global mass shootings

Article

Sep 2023

The globalization of American mass shootings? An assessment of fame-seeking perpetrators and their influence worldwide

Article

Jan 2024

This study examined fame-seeking mass shooters worldwide who attacked from 1999 to 2022 to identify their profiles, behaviours, influences, and trends. Quantitative analyses revealed many similarities between fame-seeking shooters in the United States and in other countries: compared to other mass shooters, they were more frequently young and more likely to target schools, commit suicide, and kill and injure many victims. Fame-seeking mass shooters who attacked outside the United States appeared more likely to have been influenced by American mass shooters than by perpetrators from all other countries, combined. Findings also showed a substantial rise in the number of fame-seeking shooters over time, along with increases in the proportion of mass shooters who sought fame and the average number of victims they killed. We discuss the implications of these disturbing trends and offer an assessment for the future.

Mass shooters and the death penalty: An exploration of sentencing outcomes and changes over time

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2025
CRIME LAW SOCIAL CH

Mass shooters commit some of the most extreme crimes in the United States, their attacks are almost always premeditated, and their guilt is almost never in doubt. However, they rarely receive the death penalty. To learn more, we examined the frequency of various outcomes for public mass shooters who attacked from 1966 to 2023 (n = 190), along with factors that could explain sentencing differences and changes over time. Our findings suggest only 12% of all U.S. mass shooters received a death penalty sentence, but more than 40% who made it to adjudication and were eligible got that sentence. Unexpectedly, the most heinous mass shootings were not significantly more likely to result in death penalty sentences, and most demographic, aggravating, and mitigating factors were similarly common among shooters who were and were not sentenced to death. Overall, state politics and guilty pleas were most closely associated with sentencing differences, but over time, fewer mass shooters were sentenced to death in both blue states and red states. The change in red states indicates a major reversal from prior decades.

The Effectiveness Paradox: Assessing Support for K-12 Concealed Carry by Teachers, Staff, and Parents

Article

Apr 2025
J Sch Violence

“The only friend I had was my gun”: A mixed-methods study of gun culture in school shootings

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2025
PLOS ONE

Anne Nassauer

Firearms are the leading cause of death for minors in the United States and US gun culture is often discussed as a reason behind the prevalence of school shootings. Yet, few studies systematically analyze if there is a connection between the two: Do school shooters show a distinct gun culture? This article studies gun culture in action in school shootings. It studies if school shooters show distinct meanings and practices around firearms prior to the shooting, as well as patterns in access to firearms. To do so, I analyze a full sample of US school shootings. Relying on publicly available court, police, and media data, I combine qualitative in-depth analyses with cross-case comparisons and descriptive statistics. Findings suggest most school shooters come from a social setting in which firearms are a crucial leisure activity and hold meanings of affection, friendship, and bonding. These meanings translate into practices: all school shooters had easy access to the firearms they used for the shooting. Findings contribute to research on firearms and youth violence, public health, as well as the sociology of culture.

Architectural Design for Active Shooter Preparedness: A Simulation-Based Systematic Review

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2025

Article Info Abstract Active shooter incidents (ASIs) pose a grave threat to occupant safety in built environments. This systematic review methodically examines research on building design strategies to mitigate ASI risks and enhance occupant safety, with a particular emphasis on studies utilizing simulation modeling. Employing the PRISMA framework, we analyzed 75 relevant studies published since 2000. The review synthesizes findings across key themes, including: the impact of exit design and spatial configuration on evacuation efficiency; the effectiveness of security features such as access control, surveillance systems, and bullet-resistant materials; and the role of communication systems in facilitating information sharing and emergency response. We critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of different simulation modeling approaches, highlighting their contributions to understanding human behavior dynamics and informing evidence-based design strategies. The review also identifies knowledge gaps and future research directions for optimizing building design to enhance occupant safety and resilience during ASIs.

MULTIPLE HOMOCIDE AND THE PUBLIC’S PERCEPTION

Chapter

Oct 2024

Zoran Pavlović

The aim of the monograph is to present current trends when it comes to the right to life and bodily integrity protection, based on human rights paradigm and through a discussion organized in several thematic chapters. In this regard, thematic units have been determined around the related areas in which the topic in question is presented. Since the authors from a various scientific fields and academic environment (more than 10) have contributed, the monograph is offering an important comparative and multidisciplinary view.

Mental Disorders Among Terrorists and Mass Murderers: A Comparative Study

Chapter

Sep 2024

Terrorism and mass murder are two forms of violence that have become international concerns in the twenty-first century. Despite their apparent differences, they share some similarities. This chapter aims to compare and contrast the two phenomena by examining their definitions, global impact, and the psychological profiles of terrorists and mass murderers. This chapter presents a comparative study of the psychological profiles of terrorists and mass murderers. Two systematic literature reviews were carried out to investigate mental disorders in these two populations. It examines the role of mental disorders in both populations and discuss their potential relationship with violent behavior. The case of Anders Behring Breivik, who perpetrated the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway, is used to illustrate the complex interplay between terrorism, mass murder, and psychiatry. Finally, the chapter addresses the role of mental health professionals in understanding and preventing terrorism and mass murder, as well as the limitations of current research and the need for a dynamic and multidisciplinary approach to address these complex issues.

Open-Source Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2024

This review focuses on the use of open-source data in criminology and criminal justice research, highlighting the field's advancements through these data, optimal practices for constructing open-source databases, and key methodological hurdles to confront. As the amount and types of available public information have grown, scholars have capitalized on this access by constructing open-source databases. Our review found extraordinary growth in this research area and that these flexible methods have been used to study a range of important topics, including issues that have been historically challenging to research. These methods have been most impactful in the study of rare events, such as school shootings, terrorism, and mass shootings. Some studies have become core works that significantly impacted criminology and other scientific disciplines, and the limits of the use of sources have yet to be determined. Our review of this literature found variations in the methodological approach to constructing such databases. Many studies did not evaluate the credibility of the open-source information they relied upon and often were not transparent in describing their research process. We identify the different processual elements of systematically developing and using such data. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these methods, set forth best practices, and discuss how to improve methodological rigor and oversight in future research.

Gun-free zones and active shootings in the United States: a matched case-control study

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2024

Background Most Americans believe that gun-free zones make locations more vulnerable to violent crimes, particularly active shootings. However, there is no empirical evidence regarding the impact of gun-free zones on protecting locations from violence. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between gun-free zones and active shootings. Methods We used a pair-matched case-control study where cases were all US establishments where active shootings occurred between 2014 and 2020, and controls were randomly selected US establishments where active shootings could have but did not occur, pair-matched by establishment type, year, and county. Gun-free status of included establishments was determined via local laws, company policy, news reporting, Google Maps and posted signage, and calling establishments. Findings Of 150 active shooting cases, 72 (48.0%) were determined to have occurred in a gun-free zone. Of 150 controls where no active shooting occurred, 92 (61.3%) were determined to be gun-free. After accounting for matched pairs, the conditional odds of an active shooting in gun-free establishments were 0.38 times those in non-gun-free establishments, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.19–0.73 (p-value = 0.0038). Several robustness analyses affirmed these findings. Interpretation It is unlikely that gun-free zones attract active shooters; gun-free zones may be protective against active shootings. This study challenges the proposition of repealing gun-free zones based on safety concerns. Funding This work was funded in part by the 10.13039/100020175National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research and the 10.13039/100009827Arnold Foundation.

A Statistical Analysis of the Impact of Gun Ownership on Mass Shootings in the USA Between 2013 and 2022

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2024

Mass shootings (incidents with four or more people shot in a single event, not including the shooter) are becoming more frequent in the United States, posing a significant threat to public health and safety in the country. In the current study, we intended to analyze the impact of state-level prevalence of gun ownership on mass shootings—both the frequency and severity of these events. We applied the negative binomial generalized linear mixed model to investigate the association between gun ownership rate, as measured by a proxy (i.e., the proportion of suicides committed with firearms to total suicides), and population-adjusted rates of mass shooting incidents and fatalities at the state level from 2013 to 2022. Gun ownership was found to be significantly associated with the rate of mass shooting fatalities. Specifically, our model indicated that for every 1-SD increase—that is, for every 12.5% increase—in gun ownership, the rate of mass shooting fatalities increased by 34% ( p value < 0.001). However, no significant association was found between gun ownership and rate of mass shooting incidents. These findings suggest that restricting gun ownership (and therefore reducing availability to guns) may not decrease the number of mass shooting events, but it may save lives when these events occur.

Shots fired: evaluation of vascular injury, compartment syndrome, and transfusion rates among civilian ballistic orthopaedic fracture patients presenting to two Level I trauma centres

Article

Full-text available

May 2024
EUR J ORTHOP SURG TR

Purpose This study investigates baseline patient demographics and predictors of vascular injury, blood transfusion, and compartment syndrome in patients with orthopaedic fractures secondary to GSWs at two high-volume Level I trauma centres. Methods A retrospective chart review of all GSW-related trauma patients at two Level I trauma centres between July 2019 and September 2021 was conducted. Chi-squared and two-tailed independent t tests were used for data analysis, and logistic regression with odds ratios (OR) determined predictors of primary outcomes. Results Among 478 GSW patients, 94 (19.7%) sustained 130 orthopaedic fractures, most commonly at the lower extremity (77.7%). Orthopaedic fracture patients showed significantly higher rates of vascular injury (29.8 vs. 4.7%, p < 0.001), transfusion (27.7 vs. 12.8%, p = 0.006), and compartment syndrome (3.2 vs. 0.3%, p = 0.011) compared to non-orthopaedic injury patients. Univariable analysis identified ankle (OR = 47.50, p < 0.001) and hip/femur fractures (OR = 5.31, p < 0.001) as predictors of vascular injury. Multivariable logistic regression revealed lower extremity vascular injury (OR = 54.69, p = 0.006) and anatomic fracture sites of the humerus (OR = 15.17, p = 0.008), clavicle/scapula (OR = 11.30, p = 0.009), and acetabulum/pelvis (OR = 7.17, p = 0.025) as predictors of blood transfusion. Univariable analysis showed lower extremity vascular injury (OR = 30.14, p = 0.007) as a predictor of compartment syndrome. Conclusion These findings underscore the importance of diagnosing and managing vascular injuries and compartment syndrome in GSW-related orthopaedic fractures, emphasizing the necessity for targeted transfusion strategies in such cases.

Epidemiology of Mass Shootings in the United States

Article

Feb 2024
ANNU REV CLIN PSYCHO

This in-depth review delves into the multifaceted realm of mass shootings and explores their epidemiology from a psychological perspective. The article presents a comprehensive examination of the prevalence, perpetrator and victim profiles, motives, and contributing factors associated with mass shootings. By investigating the intricate relationship between masculinity, domestic violence, military service, social media, fame-seeking, suicidal ideation, mental illness, and firearms, this article sheds light on the multifaceted nature of mass shootings. Moreover, it discusses the importance of implementing effective prevention strategies to address this growing public health concern. The findings from this review serve as a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and the community at large, facilitating a deeper understanding of mass shootings and fostering the development of evidence-based solutions to prevent these tragic incidents. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Volume 20 is May 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Correlates of Severity of Mass Public Shootings in the United States, 1966–2022

Article

Feb 2024
J Appl Secur Res

Mass Shootings in the United States and Beyond

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 2024

A statistical analysis of the impact of gun ownership on mass shootings in the United States between 2013 and 2022

Preprint

Full-text available

Dec 2023

Mass shootings are becoming more frequent in the United States, posing a significant threat to public health and safety in the country. In the current study, we intended to analyze the impact of state-level prevalence of gun ownership on mass shootings - both the frequency and severity of these events. We applied the negative binomial generalized linear mixed model to investigate the association between gun ownership rate, as measured by a proxy (i.e, the proportion of suicides committed with firearms to total suicides), and population-adjusted rates of mass shooting incidents and fatalities at the state level from 2013 to 2022. Gun ownership was found to be significantly associated with the rate of mass shooting fatalities. Specifically, our model indicated that for every 1-SD increase - that is, for every 12.5% increase - in gun ownership, the rate of mass shooting fatalities increased by 34% ( p -value < 0.001). However, no significant association was found between gun ownership and rate of mass shooting incidents. These findings suggest that restricting gun ownership (and therefore reducing availability to guns) may not decrease the number of mass shooting events, but it may save lives when these events occur.

Identification of Performance Improvement Objectives After Management of a Mass Shooting Incident: A Retrospective Study

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2023

Mass shootings are firearm incidents involving four or more victims at one or more locations close to one another. Although some American College of Surgeons designated trauma centers have the experience and resources to adequately treat mass shooting victims who arrive simultaneously or in close proximity to each other, many others do not. Therefore, the objective of this retrospective case series was to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment of five consecutive gunshot wound victims who presented to a Level II trauma center within 36 minutes of each other. Lessons learned from that experience were used to identify the most effective pre-hospital and hospital management interventions. Opportunities for performance improvement were analyzed with respect to the current literature and the American College of Surgeons 2022 consensus recommendations for mass shootings.

Towards an Indoor Gunshot Detection and Notification System Using Deep Learning

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2023

Tareq Khan

Gun violence and mass shootings kill and injure people, create psychological trauma, damage properties, and cause economic loss. The loss from gun violence can be reduced if we can detect the gunshot early and notify the police as soon as possible. In this project, a novel gunshot detector device is developed that automatically detects indoor gunshot sound and sends the gunshot location to the nearby police station in real time using the Internet. The users of the device and the emergency responders also receive smartphone notifications whenever the shooting happens. This will help the emergency responders to quickly arrive at the crime scene, thus the shooter can be caught, injured people can be taken to the hospital quickly, and lives can be saved. The gunshot detector is an electronic device that can be placed in schools, shopping malls, offices, etc. The device also records the gunshot sounds for post-crime scene analysis. A deep learning model, based on a convolutional neural network (CNN), is trained to classify the gunshot sound from other sounds with 98% accuracy. A prototype of the gunshot detector device, the central server for the emergency responder’s station, and smartphone apps have been developed and tested successfully.

Outdoor Participation and Spending Trends in Virginia: How much is too much?

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2023

Student research project on spending trends on outdoor recreation in the state of Virginia.

Do Mass Shootings in Central and Eastern Europe Differ from U.S. Mass Shootings? Insights from the MSCEE Data Set

Article

Jan 2023

Alexei Anisin

Since transitioning out of communist socio-political orders, more than a dozen Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have experienced mass shootings. To date, scholars have yet to identify a sample of cases that occurred throughout these regions of the world. This study puts forward the first collection of data on attempted and completed mass shootings through introducing 76 cases that occurred in 15 countries from 1993 to 2021. Data comprise 24 variables including offender characteristics of age, sex, motivation, life experiences, mental illness history as well as case-level characteristics including shooting type, location, fatality and injury counts, along with motivational factors including fame seeking and extremism. These data are presented for public access and are encouraged to be used for research triangulation and cross-national social inquiry on mass murder.

Mass Shootings Involving Intimate Partners in the United States: Prevalence and Patterns

Chapter

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Policy & Change: An Analysis of Veteran Perpetrated Mass Shootings & Social Work's Call to Action

Article

Full-text available

May 2023

Christopher Collins

Public mass shootings are relatively rare occurrences in the United States. As such, focusing on individual-level factors to develop a prevention framework is ill-advised. However, starting with veterans, as an overrepresented group of offenders, may be an important step to determining and developing policies that work to prevent mass shootings. The Veteran’s Administration (VA) is the largest employer of social workers in the United States and employs more than 15,000 master’s level social work professionals. Policy and training changes made to the VA system have the potential to begin reducing incidents of public mass shootings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether veteran-status or the phenomenon of leakage influences the number of casualties in public mass shootings. Further, a renewed call-to-action is issued for social workers engaged with veterans, military personnel, and their families. A negative binomial regression analysis was utilized to examine 168 public mass shootings events in the United States from 1966 until 2019. While veteran status was not associated with increased casualty this does not underscore the importance of policy changes that limit access to firearms for high-risk people. Further, because leakage was statistically significant in explaining casualty rates in mass shootings additional training related to duty to warn may be necessary for social workers engaged in therapeutic relationships with veterans, military personnel, and their families. The results of the negative binomial regression offer insights into what effective policy interventions may look like to reduce mass shootings.

Representaciones de la Psiquiatría y los Trastornos Mentales en el Imaginario Punk Español (1981-2010)

Thesis

Full-text available

Nov 2022

Fabián Pavez

Introduction. The bidirectional relationships between culture and medicine are essential in psychiatry due to the nature of its endeavour. Thus, the relevance of the analysis of popular culture lies in understanding popular ideas about mental disorders and psychiatric praxis (the focus of this thesis) and identifying the social impact of the circulation of such ideas (an open field of research). Objective. To describe the representations of psychiatric practice and mental disorders in Spanish punk songs (1981-2010). Specifically, the aim is to identify the uses, meanings, viewpoints, value judgements and emerging themes. Material and method. A systematic review was conducted to assess the extent of the available literature and the methodologies employed in the field. It guided the selection of the most appropriate strategies for a systematic approach to the subject matter, which led to the qualitative analysis of the lyrics of Spanish punk songs (1981-2010) through an inductive process. First, the general notion of ‘madness’ was addressed, followed by psychotic disorders and psychiatry. Finally, the contents related to criminality and violence were explored, along with their links to mental disorders from a punk perspective. The methodological strategy included content analysis as an initial approach, providing information on the type and extent of the allusions; while, in a second stage, the thematic analysis deepened into the uses, meanings, viewpoints, value judgements and emerging themes. Results and conclusions. The songs under study reflected general observations, clinical, therapeutic and social aspects, references to other cultural representations, new meanings for the psychiatric language, and a seemingly elusive use of it (musically driven), thereby confirming the interdiscursive, polyphonic and polysemic character of Spanish punk songs. The depictions of psychiatry were critical, characterised by their specificity and immutability (the stereotype of social control). The restricted format of the songs, intertextual influences and, perhaps more importantly, the connections with the allegorical function of the psychiatrist in the lyrical discourses of Spanish punk may explain these findings. Psychopathological terms related to psychotic disorders did not allude to positive meanings, showing a pejorative use in almost one-third of the cases. On the other hand, although most descriptions of psychotic symptoms or disorders were neutral, negative views reached almost 40%. The study of madness as a broader concept also showed a preponderance of negative depictions. Thus, most of the analysed songs reproduced the stereotypes prevailing in the general population, with an overestimation of the links between violence, criminality and mental disorders. The negative appraisals of madness and the madman can be explained mainly by the attributions of dangerousness attached to them. Associations with crime and violence also appeared in songs depicting psychotic disorders or symptoms. Additionally, the study of songs alluding to crime within mental disorders confirmed an almost absolute representation of offenders as ‘mentally disturbed.’ The cultural construction of mental illness retains a stigmatised dimension, which would be determined, at least partly, by intertextual factors. Apart from intertextuality, identity factors were relevant in the songs under study. Thus, the identity affirmation of the punk subculture can be expressed through the figure of the madman, encompassing provocative dimensions that challenge social patterns by exalting madness. The finding of a higher proportion than might be expected regarding the positive appraisal of the apparently negative attributes of madness was consistent with one of the hypotheses of this work; since it was expected to find either the same stigmatising views that are present in the general population but containing differentiated appraisal undertones or an idealisation of madness. Both cases were found in the songs examined, confirming the heterogeneity of the discoursive landscape.

Social, Psychological and Pedagogical Problems of Digital Education in Subject’s Development: Социальные, психологические и педагогические проблемы развития субъектов цифрового образования

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2024

Introduction. Research problem. Consideration of the problems of digital education (that is, education organized through digital technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies) is necessarily connected with the analysis of not only pedagogical, but also social, psychological processes and effects of digital education, its influence on the formation and development of students and teachers as subjects. Most of these types of transformations should and can be considered within the framework of social and psychological transformations of human relationships and the values and ideas that govern these relationships. The purpose of the study is to analyze the socio-psychological problems of the development of subjects of digital education. The methodological basis of the study is a systematic approach to understanding the problems of modern digital education and its subjects. Materials and Methods. Theoretical analysis of the problems of the development of digital education and its subjects using the example of issues related to the use of artificial intelligence systems (smart technologies) in education. Results. The main social problems of digitalization of education: 1) the absence of digital culture as a mass culture of the use of digital technologies; 2) mythologized and politicized use of digital technologies; 3) opacity and ethical violations of the development, application and improvement of digital technologies; 4) lack/small number of competent personnel and systems for their quality training and retraining as a result of a simplified view of the essence of digitalization of education. The main pedagogical problems: 1) unpreparedness, underdevelopment of technological systems for the digitalization of education, the primitiveness of the digitalization technologies used as their inconsistency with the whole and objectives of education as an institution of cultural transmission; 2) unpreparedness of students and teachers to use, develop and improve digital technologies; 3) the destructive consequences of the use of modern digital technologies for education; 4) and for the formation and development of the subjectivity of its participants. Psychological problems of digitalization of education at the modern stage: 1) desubjectivization of educational processes as a result of attempts to “replace” teachers and students with digital devices, 2) imitation and profanation of education, leading to its desacralization and destruction as a system of relations between people and their activities; 3) the increase in socio-psychological inequality and conflicts among subjects of government, mediated by digital technologies; 4) problems of social and psychological security and violence in education. Discussion and Conclusion. These problems closely interact, and the central primary sources are, undoubtedly, the problems of society, the collapsing social relations of people, their primitivization, mythologization, and commodification. Введение. Актуальность исследования. Современная цифровизация образования на фоне несформированной цифровой культуры и понимания опасностей и проблем цифровизации ведет к десубъективизации образовательных отношений, их развалу, о чем пишут многие современные исследователи, в том числе в контексте результатов цифровизации в период так называемой «пандемии» 2020-2022 годов. Новизна исследования связана с попыткой системного анализа социальных, педагогических и психологических проблем современного цифрового образования. Цель исследования – анализ социально-психологических проблем развития субъектов цифрового образования. Методология. Методологическая основа исследования – системный подход к пониманию проблем современного цифрового образования и его субъектов. Методы исследования – теоретический анализ проблем развития цифрового образования и его субъектов на примере вопросов, связанных с использованием смарт-технологий и иных цифровых средств в образовании. Результаты исследования. Основные социальные проблемы цифровизации образования: 1) отсутствие цифровой культуры как массовой культуры использования цифровых технологий; 2) мифологизированное и политизированное использование цифровых технологий; 3) непрозрачность и этические нарушения разработки, применения и совершенствования цифровых технологий; 4) отсутствие/малая численность компетентных кадров и систем их качественной подготовки и переподготовки вследствие упрощенного представления о сущности цифровизации образования. Основные педагогические проблемы: 1) неподготовленность, неразвитость технологических систем к цифровизации образования, примитивность используемых технологий цифровизации, их несоответствие целому и целям образования как института культурной трансмиссии; 2) неготовность студентов и преподавателей использовать, развивать и совершенствовать цифровые технологии; 3) деструктивные последствия использования современных цифровых технологий в образовании; 4) и для формирования и развития субъектности его участников. Психологические проблемы цифровизации образования на современном этапе: 1) десубъективизация образовательных процессов в результате попыток «заменить» учителей и учащихся цифровыми устройствами, 2) имитация и профанация образования, ведущая к его десакрализации и разрушению как системы отношений между людьми и их деятельностью; 3) рост социально-психологического неравенства и конфликтов между субъектами власти, опосредованных цифровыми технологиями; 4) проблемы социальной и психологической безопасности и насилия в образовании. Заключение. Эти проблемы тесно взаимодействуют, а центральными первоисточниками, несомненно, являются проблемы общества, развал социальных отношений людей, их примитивизация, мифологизация и коммодификация.

Mass shootings

Chapter

Jan 2025

Inequities in interpersonal firearm violence

Chapter

Jan 2025

Article

Nov 2024
J CRIM JUST

Background: Although an important subset of mass shooters has admitted copying previous shooters, there has been almost no empirical research on the similarities between mass shooting role models and their copycats. Such analysis is essential for understanding who is most susceptible to the influence of high-profile mass shooters and what behaviors they are likely to copy. Methods: We first compiled all documented instances we could find globally of public mass shooters and active shooters becoming a role model for a copycat from 1966 to 2022 (n = 205) and calculated how often their risk profiles and behaviors were similar. Next, we ran simulated matches (n = 2000) and used binary logistic regression to test whether copycats were significantly more similar to their role models than to a random shooter. Findings: Compared to a random shooter, copycat attackers were significantly closer to their role models in age and more likely to share the same sex, race, country, incident location type, and offender outcome. Nearly 80% of copycats attacked more than one year after their role model, and the average temporal gap was approximately eight years. Copycats averaged significantly fewer victims killed and wounded than their role models. Conclusions: The risk that high-profile mass shooters influence copycat attackers persists for many years, with the most susceptible individuals sharing characteristics of the role model shooters themselves. These findings could be used to make media coverage of mass shootings safer and to inform triage and case prioritization for threat assessment and violence prevention.

The Gamification of Mass Violence: Social Factors, Video Game Influence, and Attack Presentation in the Christchurch Mass Shooting and Its Copycats

Article

Oct 2024

Gun ownership and gun violence: A comparison of the United States and Switzerland

Article

Aug 2024
AGGRESS VIOLENT BEH

The Impact of Neighborhood Characteristics on Routine and Gang-Involved Gun Violence: Are Structural Covariates Salient?

Article

Jul 2024
DEVIANT BEHAV

An extensive body of literature has described the influence of neighborhood characteristics, including socio-economic deprivation, residential turnover, and racial/ethnic composition on gun crime. There have been limited efforts, however, to examine the extent to which these effects might vary based on the nature of gun crime—particularly in communities outside of major cities like Chicago or St. Louis. This study attempts to address this issue through application of negative binomial regression and equality of coefficients tests to data obtained from the crime logs and American Community Survey data of a medium-sized city in the Southeastern U.S. Specifically, this study examines (in)equality in the structural covariates of gun crimes when these offenses are disaggregated by gang-involved gun crime versus non-gang-involved gun crime across a sample of 153 census block groups in Chattanooga. Results indicate that the relative influence of neighborhood structural characteristics varies, to some extent, by type of gun crime, illustrating the need for disaggregated measures as a matter of exploring relationships between sub-crime types.

Impact of Gun Violence on Students' Mental Health

Chapter

Jun 2024

This chapter explores how gun violence affects students' mental health, highlighting the need of comprehending the perspectives of both direct and indirect victims. It highlights the complicated issue's significance for public health by addressing rising rates of anxiety, despair, and PTSD among students. Less than 1% of firearm-related deaths in schools are caused by school shootings, despite an increase in these incidents. Economic instability, inequality, COVID-19, and gun suicides are all contributing issues. The chapter emphasises how critical it is to address issues related to mental health, particularly the racial disparities in treatment availability. School counsellors are essential in putting ideas into action, helping traumatised children, and encouraging academic achievement. To improve school safety, recommendations include tightening gun laws, involving the community, and providing mental health care. In reaction to gun violence, the chapter promotes a holistic strategy that gives students' mental health top priority.

Discrepancies in Mass Shootings and Access to Trauma Care Across the United States, 2014-2018

Article

Mar 2024

Introduction The United States has one of the highest rates of gun violence and mass shootings. Timely medical attention in such events is critical. The objective of this study was to assess geographic disparities in mass shootings and access to trauma centers. Methods Data for all Level I and II trauma centers were extracted from the American College of Surgeons and the Trauma Center Association of America registries. Mass shooting event data (4+ individuals shot at a single event) were taken from the Gun Violence Archive between 2014 and 2018. Results A total of 564 trauma centers and 1672 mass shootings were included. Ratios of the number of mass shootings vs trauma centers per state ranged from 0 to 11.0 mass shootings per trauma center. States with the greatest disparity (highest ratio) included Louisiana and New Mexico. Conclusion States in the southern regions of the US experience the greatest disparity due to a high burden of mass shootings with less access to trauma centers. Interventions are needed to increase access to trauma care and reduce mass shootings in these medically underserved areas.

Bringing the firepower: examining muzzle energy and caliber of ammunition in the context of mass shootings

Article

Jan 2024

Examining U.S. school shootings as state crimes of omission

Article

Jan 2024

Laura Finley

Gun Crime/Gun Control

Chapter

Nov 2019

Peter Squires

The mass shooting phenomenon, rather more than underlying levels of “ordinary” gun crime, has brought new urgency to the global gun debate, leading to renewed international efforts at gun control even as, in many societies, those who can, acquire firearms for their own personal defense, lacking confidence in the authorities' ability to protect them. Yet the global evidence is unequivocal: More guns invariably lead to more gun violence and significantly more gun suicides. While many jurisdictions have introduced new gun controls in the wake of mass shooting tragedies, the size and strength of the US gun lobby has been especially successful in preventing the adoption of significant new gun control measures, even, in many cases, liberalizing existing gun laws and securing a favorable reinterpretation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. The commentary develops the concept of a “gun control regime” to better understand, from a social science perspective, the culture and politics, use and misuse, of firearms in any given country.

Global Guns, Violence and Criminology

Article

Jun 2023

Peter Squires

These four books published recently reflect, in their different ways, how criminology is coming to grapple with questions of firearms and violence. These are timely topics; at home, in Europe and across the wider world, gun violence has seldom been out of the news. In the United Kingdom, following the recent Inquest verdict and the coroner’s report on the Plymouth mass shooting of 2021, not forgetting a series of domestic killings with lawfully held weapons (in Sussex 2020; Skye 2022; Cambridge 2023; and Epsom 2023) the licensing of firearms is under urgent review. In Hamburg, Germany, eight people died during a mass shooting in the city, the fourth such event in Germany in two decades. Concerns have arisen over allegedly lax firearm laws and the failure of police to act on information received anticipating the attack. Meanwhile, in the United States, the killing has continued unabated. As of 5 March 2023, 5,149 people had been killed by gunfire in the year so far, a rise of 75% on the same period in 2022, while the shooting at the Covenant school in Nashville marked the 131st mass shooting in the United States this year. Yet, while gun violence in the United States and the global North regularly makes the news and the United States is widely viewed as exceptional in this regard, as Wallace points out in his powerful collection, rates of gun violence are much higher in many Southern, poor, developing and highly weaponized societies. It is just that we do not hear so much about it and seldom reflect upon the colonial legacies often responsible.

The U.S. cable televisions' framing of mass shooting: a grounded discovery of competing narratives

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2023

Maurice N Emelu

News frames play a vital role in shaping the audience's interpretation of the news, their participation in policy discussions, and their engagement in public discourse. This study uses the Analysis of Topic Model Networks (ANTMN) frame analysis grounded approach and examines the 2017 Sutherland Springs, Texas, mass shooting coverage in a house of worship by three U.S. cable television networks—CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. News reports for the first seven days following the shooting were collected from the cable networks' Twitter, YouTube, and website accounts. A total of 290 news reports were analyzed and 760 aggregate units for frames were coded. The results demonstrate that ANTMN grounded approach is an effective method for frame analysis and support research about the news media's emphasis on victims, community, and individual frames in cases of mass shootings. They identify differences in the issue-based frame of gun vs. mental health debates. Additional new frames of empathy, interventions, reactions, and security were discovered. Results also show differences in frames used and their frequency between the digital platforms of Twitter, YouTube, and websites and cable organizations. These differences show each media network's ideological perspectives or competing news narratives. The findings raise relevant questions to news coverage, policy debates about mental health and gun violence, and cultural awareness of the problem of mass shootings and public safety as the world becomes more global.

Socio-Psychological Problems of Digital Education in Subject's Development

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2023

Relevance and research problem. Consideration of the problems of digital education (that is, education organized through digitaltechnologies, including artificial intelligence technologies) is necessarily related to the analysis of socio-psychological processes andeffects of digital education, its impact on the formation and development of students and teachers as subjects. Most of these types oftransformations should and can be considered within the framework of socio-psychological changes in an individual's relationshipwith himself / herself and other people and the values and ideas that govern these relationships.

American uniqueness revisited: A comparative examination of two school shootings using the path to intended violence

Article

Jun 2023

Социально-психологические проблемы развития субъектов цифрового образования

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2022

Проблемы цифрового образования следует изучать в ракурсе его социально-психологических процессов и эффектов, влияния на становление и развитие учеников и педагогов как субъектов. Цель-анализ социально-психологических проблем развития субъектов цифрового образования. Метод исследования-теоретический анализ проблем развития цифрового образования и его субъектов на примере использования систем искусственного интеллекта (смарт-технологий) в образовании. Материалы, результаты и обсуждение. Смарт-технологии предъявляют серьезные требования к культуре, и искусственный интеллект не является субъектом воспитания: он транслирует цели, ценности и модели поведения, которые предложены ему заказчиками и разработчиками. Эти цели могут служить как развитию субъектности, так и десубъективизации участников и стейкхолдеров образования. Поэтому смарт-технологии в образовании предъявляют серьезные требования к общечеловеческой и цифровой культуре и компетенции педагогов и учеников. При отсутствии культуры использования технологии искусственного интеллекта деформируют отношения человека с собой и миром, приводя к десубъективизации. Выводы. Центральными моментами продуктивного и эффективного образования, активно использующего цифровые технологии, позволяющего развивать субъектность его участников, выступают: а) формирование и развитие цифровой культуры; б) обращенность образования к формированию и развитию человека как субъекта. Эффективное смарт-образование должно быть ориентировано на формирование и развитие субъектности, цифровой культуры разработчиков, организаторов и пользователей смарт-технологий, осмысление места смарт-технологий в образовании разных ступеней и типов, а также повышение прозрачности и иных характеристик процессов и результатов их использования. Ключевые слова: системы искусственного интеллекта; цифровое обучение; цифровые средства обучения; цифровая культура; смарт-образование; субъектность

Estimating the Global Prevalence of Mass Public Shootings

Article

Dec 2022
INT J OFFENDER THER

Previous studies have yielded widely divergent conclusions about the percentage of all mass public shootings globally that take place in the US, ranging from a low of 3% to a high of 36%. Because of documented underreporting of lower-severity attacks involving fewer than 10 victim fatalities in US cases in these studies, it is reasonable to assume that this underreporting issue also applies to their measurement of mass public shootings outside the US. To estimate the total number of mass public shootings worldwide, we use multiple assumptions and modeling approaches, including a hierarchical Bayesian model. Our estimates show the US accounted for anywhere between 16% and 26% of the world's mass public shootings during the 1976 to 2012 period. These estimates suggest the US share of the total is between four and six times higher than its 4% share of the world's population.

Comparing the Global Rate of Mass Public Shootings to the U.S.’s Rate and Comparing Their Changes Over Time

Article

Jan 2020

John Lott

School shootings in Russia vs. the United States: new reality, key similarities and differences

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2022

Background: The Cumulative Strain Theory (CST) is a multi-stage explanatory model which is used to analyse students' involvement in mass shootings at schools across the world. School shootings were once considered a uniquely American phenomenon. However, over the last decade, the incidence of these violent attacks has spiked around the globe. In particular, recent reports from Russia have demonstrated a worrying increase in the number of school shootings despite efforts to implement policies to prevent them. Aim: The aims of this report are (1) to discuss the genesis of school mass murders in the context of cumulative strain theory, and (2) to analyse the scope of the problem in the US versus Russia. Methods: We used the five-stage cumulative strain theory to analyse the factors contributing to school shootings using two case studies from each country. We gathered information and evidence from a variety of sources including interview transcripts, statistical data, journal articles, reviews, and other secondary sources published in Russian and English. Results: Our analysis revealed some common features among the school shooters in Russia and the US, such as the self-perception of superiority, vindictiveness and a lack of social support, including challenging relationships with parents and peers. However, the American shooters displayed a readiness for encounters with and possible firearm use against law enforcement officers during the mass murders. We further found that auto-aggressive behaviours were prevalent in the attacks that occurred-in Russia in particular. Unlike those from the US, the reports from Russia pointed towards an association between cumulative economic hardships and various behavioural outcomes ranging from poor psychological health to severe behavioural outbursts and violent behaviours. Conclusion: We believe that the cult of weapons and militarism increase the risk of school shootings in both countries. Neither a single stage of CST nor all five stages together can predict or confirm the association with mass shootings.

Defining Rampage Violence Across Completion Status: Towards a More Comprehensive Model

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2022

The definitions and terms used to describe single-incident mass casualty events vary widely and remain contested. To allow for the inclusion of more incidents, larger and more representative samples, and more comprehensive analyses, we argue in favor of using the broad term “rampage” and propose a new model, the Rampage Violence Status Model (RVSM), which provides additional context on completion status and can subsume previous terminology. Additionally, by expanding upon previous researchers’ distinctions and definitions of various stages and completion statuses, we suggest adopting the following terms as stages in the progression of rampage violence, per the RVSM: researched, planned, prepared, initiated, interrupted, attempted, and completed.

Suicide by cop: Committing suicide by provoking police to shoot you (Title and Contents pages only)

Book

Full-text available

Jan 2004

Guns, Violent Crime, and Suicide in 21 Countries

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2001
Can J Criminol

Research on the role of firearms in violence and fatal events has focused heavily on American data and research. This implies certain limitations, since the United States is one of the Western countries with exceptionally high homicide and gun ownership rates. Thus, the American context offers only limited variance in the most prominent independent as well as dependent variables. International comparisons offer challenging new perspectives. This research is based on data on gun availability in private households, collected through the international victimization surveys of 1989, 1992, and 1996, and World Health Organization data on homicide and suicide from 21 countries. It updates and extends former research conducted on this issue, based on the surveys of 1989 and 1992. In addition, data from the International Crime Victimization Surveys were used on total and gun-related robbery and assault (including threats).

Cultural and Institutional Adaptation and Change in Europe: A Test of Institutional Anomie Theory Using Time Series Modelling of Homicide Data

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2014

Diana Dolliver

This study examined whether geographic differences in intentional homicide rates in Europe were a function of societies that exhibit Anomic cultural tendencies and an institutional imbalance, as guided by Institutional Anomie Theory. This research is temporally sensitive, taking into account these differences over a 15-year time period. Additionally, separate operations of the theory within developed and transitioning countries were tested, and various cultural–institutional configurations were uncovered that led to increases or decreases in homicide rates. While still restricted by a lack of guidance from Messner and Rosenfeld and inconsistency in past research on how to operationalize key concepts of Institutional Anomie Theory, this study significantly contributes to the literature by assessing core theoretical questions of the theory while employing appropriate measurement strategies.

The Routine of Mass Murder in China

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2014
HOMICIDE STUD

Using data obtained from 165 mass murders in China, this research examines the crime of mass murder through a routine activities perspective as it relates to the location of where they occur (rural areas), while taking into consideration the motivation (revenge and profit), and most common weapon (knife) used. This adds to the literature on mass murders and routine activities theory from an area (China) where little academic research has been published regarding this crime.

A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013

Technical Report

Full-text available

Sep 2014

The Columbine LegacyRampage Shootings as Political Acts

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2009

Ralph W. Larkin

The purpose of this article is to explore how the Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999, influenced subsequent school rampage shootings. First, school rampage shootings are defined to distinguish them from other forms of school violence. Second, post-Columbine shootings and thwarted shootings are examined to determine how they were influenced by Columbine. Unlike prior rampage shooters, Harris and Klebold committed their rampage shooting as an overtly political act in the name of oppressed students victimized by their peers. Numerous post-Columbine rampage shooters referred directly to Columbine as their inspiration; others attempted to supersede the Columbine shootings in body count. In the wake of Columbine, conspiracies to blow up schools and kill their inhabitants by outcast students were uncovered by authorities. School rampage shootings, most of which referred back to Columbine as their inspiration, expanded beyond North America to Europe, Australia, and Argentina; they increased on college campuses and spread to nonschool venues. The Columbine shootings redefined such acts not merely as revenge but as a means of protest of bullying, intimidation, social isolation, and public rituals of humiliation.

Violent Masculinities as Tropes for School ShootersThe Montréal Massacre, the Columbine Attack, and Rethinking Schools

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2009

Karen Tonso

Attacks at Montréal École Polytechnique and Columbine High frame a decade of school shootings and may offer insights into some other rampages. Though times, rationales, and sites of peer-group production differed at these two sites, “school shooter” encoded ways to react in situations where some young men felt unfairly subordinated in society; shooters used deadly violence to assert and reclaim the “rightful” places they felt denied. “School shooter” seemed to borrow from violent masculinities, common socioculturally produced images, or tropes, for acting, implicating not only shooters (who take up extreme versions of these tropes), but also simultaneously everyday sociocultural contexts where violent masculinities are produced, reinforced, and valorized. This article suggests the importance of context to the production of shooters and as such competes with attempts to develop remedies to school shootings grounded in de-contextualized, individualistic approaches that focus only on shooters.

Mass Murder at School and Cumulative StrainA Sequential Model

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2009

To explain the genesis of mass murder committed by students at their schools, the authors propose a five-stage sequential model in which several criminological theories (strain theory, control theory, and routine activities theory) are brought to bear collectively to demonstrate their cumulative effect. These stages are as follows: chronic strain, uncontrolled strain, acute strain, the planning stage, and the massacre. Long-term frustrations (chronic strains) experienced early in life or in adolescence lead to social isolation, and the resultant lack of prosocial support systems (uncontrolled strain) in turn allows a short-term negative event (acute strain), be it real or imagined, to be particularly devastating. As such, the acute strain initiates a planning stage, wherein a mass killing is fantasized about as a masculine solution to regain lost feelings of control, and actions are taken to ensure the fantasy can become reality. The planning process concludes in a massacre facilitated by weapons that enable mass destruction in schoolrooms and campuses, where students are closely packed together. Based on this analysis, prevention strategies are suggested.

Rampage school shooters: A typology

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2009
AGGRESS VIOLENT BEH

Peter Langman

A number of researchers have sought to identify the features that school shooters have in common in terms of family life, personalities, histories, and behaviors. This article examines the cases of 10 rampage school-shooters in an effort to find out not only how they are alike, but also how they differ. Based on available information, these youths are categorized into three types: traumatized, psychotic, and psychopathic. Out of the 10 shooters discussed, three were traumatized, five were psychotic, and two were psychopathic. The three traumatized shooters all came from broken homes with parental substance abuse and parental criminal behavior. They all were physically abused and two were sexually abused outside of the home. The five psychotic shooters had schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, including schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder. They all came from intact families with no history of abuse. The two psychopathic shooters were neither abused nor psychotic. They demonstrated narcissism, a lack of empathy, a lack of conscience, and sadistic behavior. Most people who are traumatized, psychotic, and psychopathic do not commit murder. Beyond identifying the three types of rampage shooters, additional factors are explored that may have contributed to the attacks. These include family structure, role models, and peer influence.

International Correlations Between Gun Ownership and Rates of Homicide and Suicide

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1993

Martin Killias

To examine international correlations between reported rates of household gun ownership and rates of homicide and suicide with a gun. Survey. People who responded to a telephone survey conducted by the 1989 International Crime Survey in 11 European countries, Australia, Canada and the United States. Positive correlations were obtained between the rates of household gun ownership and the national rates of homicide and suicide as well as the proportions of homicides and suicides committed with a gun. There was no negative correlation between the rates of ownership and the rates of homicide and suicide committed by other means; this indicated that the other means were not used to "compensate" for the absence of guns in countries with a lower rate of gun ownership. Larger studies are needed to examine more closely possible confounding factors such as the national tendency toward violent solutions, and more information on the type and availability of guns will be helpful in future studies. Nevertheless, the correlations detected in this study suggest that the presence of a gun in the home increases the likelihood of homicide or suicide.

Australia’s 1996 gun law reforms: Faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2007

After a 1996 firearm massacre in Tasmania in which 35 people died, Australian governments united to remove semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns and rifles from civilian possession, as a key component of gun law reforms. To determine whether Australia's 1996 major gun law reforms were associated with changes in rates of mass firearm homicides, total firearm deaths, firearm homicides and firearm suicides, and whether there were any apparent method substitution effects for total homicides and suicides. Observational study using official statistics. Negative binomial regression analysis of changes in firearm death rates and comparison of trends in pre-post gun law reform firearm-related mass killings. Australia, 1979-2003. Changes in trends of total firearm death rates, mass fatal shooting incidents, rates of firearm homicide, suicide and unintentional firearm deaths, and of total homicides and suicides per 100,000 population. In the 18 years before the gun law reforms, there were 13 mass shootings in Australia, and none in the 10.5 years afterwards. Declines in firearm-related deaths before the law reforms accelerated after the reforms for total firearm deaths (p = 0.04), firearm suicides (p = 0.007) and firearm homicides (p = 0.15), but not for the smallest category of unintentional firearm deaths, which increased. No evidence of substitution effect for suicides or homicides was observed. The rates per 100,000 of total firearm deaths, firearm homicides and firearm suicides all at least doubled their existing rates of decline after the revised gun laws. Australia's 1996 gun law reforms were followed by more than a decade free of fatal mass shootings, and accelerated declines in firearm deaths, particularly suicides. Total homicide rates followed the same pattern. Removing large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from civilians may be an effective way of reducing mass shootings, firearm homicides and firearm suicides.

Self-Reported Suicidal Behavior and Attitudes Toward Suicide and Suicide Prevention Among Psychology Students in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2008

Self-reported suicidal behavior and attitudes toward suicide in psychology students are reported and compared in Ghana, Uganda, and Norway. Small differences only were found in own suicidal behavior. However, experience of suicidal behavior in the surroundings was more common in Uganda than in Ghana and Norway. Although differences were found between the three countries in attitudes toward suicide, which emphasizes the need for culture-sensitive research and prevention, many of the differences were not as big as expected. The most pronounced difference was that the Norwegian students were more reluctant to take a stand on these questions compared to their African counterparts. Some differences were also found between the two African countries. The implications of the results for suicide prevention in Africa are discussed.

Power, Politics, and the Decline of the Civil Rights Movement: A Fragile Coalition, 1967–1973

Book

Jan 2014

Christopher P. Lehman

The book examines how the coalition among the national African American civil rights organizations disintegrated between 1967 and 1973 as a result of the factionalism that splintered the groups from within as well as the federal government's sabotage of the Civil Rights Movement. Focusing on four major civil rights groups, Power, Politics, and the Decline of the Civil Rights Movement: A Fragile Coalition, 1967–1973 documents how factions within the movement and sabotage from the federal government led to the gradual splintering of the Civil Rights Movement. Well-known historian Christopher P. Lehman builds his case convincingly, utilizing his original research on the Movement's later years—a period typically overlooked and unexamined in the existing literature on the Movement. The book identifies how each civil rights group challenged poverty, violence, and discrimination differently from one another and describes how the federal government intentionally undermined civil rights organizations' efforts. It also shows how civil rights activists gravitated to political careers, explains the rising prominence of civil rights speakers to the Movement in the absence of political organizing by civil rights groups, and documents the Movement's influence upon Richard Nixon's presidency.

Democracy in America

Chapter

Apr 2011

A. De Tocqueville

Social Mobility in Industrial Society

Article

Jan 1960

Violent Land: Single Men and Social Disorder from the Frontier to the Inner City.

Article

Aug 1998
J South Hist

Triggering the debate: Faulty associations between violence and mental illness underlie u s gun control efforts

Article

Jan 2013

School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators

Book

Jan 2015

Peter Langman

School shootings scare everyone, even those not immediately affected. They make national and international news. They make parents afraid to send their children off to school. But they also lead to generalizations about those who perpetrate them. Most assumptions about the perpetrators are wrong and many of the warning signs are missed until it’s too late. Here, Peter Langman takes a look at 48 national and international cases of school shootings in order to dispel the myths, explore the motives, and expose the realities of preventing school shootings from happening in the future, including identifying at risk individuals and helping them to seek help before it’s too late.

Handgun regulations, crime, assaults, and homicide: A tale of two cities

Article

May 1989
NEW ENGL J MED

This article has no abstract; the first 100 words appear below. Benneyan — Robert Noel Benneyan, M.D., of Greenfield, died on February 22. He was 56. Dr. Benneyan received his degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1958. He was a member of the American Medical Association and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Borenstein — Morris V. Borenstein, M.D., formerly of Springfield, died on March 4 at the age of 82. Dr. Borenstein received his degree from Universitaet Wien, Medizinische Fakultaet in 1936. He was a member of the American Physicians Fellowship, Inc., the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Society of Law and Medicine. Delisle — Antonio . . .

Celebrity Culture and the American Dream: Stardom and Social Mobility

Article

Mar 2011

Karen Sternheimer

Celebrity Culture and the American Dream, Second Edition considers how major economic and historical factors shaped the nature of celebrity culture as we know it today, retaining the first edition's examples from the first celebrity fan magazines of 1911 to the present and expanding to include updated examples and additional discussion on the role of the internet and social media in today's celebrity culture. Equally important, the book explains how and why the story of Hollywood celebrities matters, sociologically speaking, to an understanding of American society, to the changing nature of the American Dream, and to the relation between class and culture. This book is an ideal addition to courses on inequalities, celebrity culture, media, and cultural studies.

Harsh Justice: Criminal Punishment and the Widening Divide Between America and Europe

Article

Jan 2012

James Whitman

Criminal punishment in America is harsh and degrading-more so than anywhere else in the liberal west. Executions and long prison terms are commonplace in America. Countries like France and Germany, by contrast, are systematically mild. European offenders are rarely sent to prison, and when they are, they serve far shorter terms than their American counterparts. Why is America so comparatively harsh? This book takes a comparative legal history perspective and argues that the answer lies in America's triumphant embrace of a non-hierarchical social system and distrust of state power which have contributed to a law of punishment that is more willing to degrade offenders.

How Exceptional is the American Political Economy?

Article

Sep 1990

Richard Rose

Mass Shooters in the USA, 1966–2010: Differences Between Attackers Who Live and Die

Article

Dec 2013

Adam Lankford

Previous research suggests that there are fundamental psychological and behavioral differences between offenders who commit murder and offenders who commit murder-suicide. Whether a similar distinction exists for rampage, workplace, and school shooters remains unknown. Using data from the 2010 NYPD report, this study presents results from the first regression analysis of all qualifying mass shooters who struck in the USA between 1966 and 2010 (N = 185). Findings suggest that there are fundamental differences between mass shooters who die as a result of their attacks and mass shooters who live. Patterns among offenders, the weapons they use, the victims they kill, and the locations they attack may have significant implications for scholars and security officials alike.

The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers

Article

May 2014
BEHAV BRAIN SCI

Adam Lankford

For years, scholars have claimed that suicide terrorists are not suicidal, but rather psychologically normal individuals inspired to sacrifice their lives for an ideological cause, due to a range of social and situational factors. I agree that suicide terrorists are shaped by their contexts, as we all are. However, I argue that these scholars went too far. In The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers, I take the opposing view, based on my in-depth analyses of suicide attackers from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America; attackers who were male, female, young, old, Islamic, and Christian; attackers who carried out the most deadly and the least deadly strikes. I present evidence that in terms of their behavior and psychology, suicide terrorists are much like others who commit conventional suicides, murder-suicides, or unconventional suicides where mental health problems, personal crises, coercion, fear of an approaching enemy, or hidden self-destructive urges play a major role. I also identify critical differences between suicide terrorists and those who have genuinely sacrificed their lives for a greater good. By better understanding suicide terrorists, experts in the brain and behavioral sciences may be able to pioneer exciting new breakthroughs in security countermeasures and suicide prevention. And even more ambitiously, by examining these profound extremes of the human condition, perhaps we can more accurately grasp the power of the human survival instinct among those who are actually psychologically healthy.

The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States, 1981-2010

Article

Sep 2013
AM J PUBLIC HEALTH

Objectives: We examined the relationship between levels of household firearm ownership, as measured directly and by a proxy-the percentage of suicides committed with a firearm-and age-adjusted firearm homicide rates at the state level. Methods: We conducted a negative binomial regression analysis of panel data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting Systems database on gun ownership and firearm homicide rates across all 50 states during 1981 to 2010. We determined fixed effects for year, accounted for clustering within states with generalized estimating equations, and controlled for potential state-level confounders. Results: Gun ownership was a significant predictor of firearm homicide rates (incidence rate ratio = 1.009; 95% confidence interval = 1.004, 1.014). This model indicated that for each percentage point increase in gun ownership, the firearm homicide rate increased by 0.9%. Conclusions: We observed a robust correlation between higher levels of gun ownership and higher firearm homicide rates. Although we could not determine causation, we found that states with higher rates of gun ownership had disproportionately large numbers of deaths from firearm-related homicides.

The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective

Article

Jan 2000

Mary O'Toole

The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States

Article

Jan 2004

Bryan Vossekuil

Why are U.S. Incarceration Rates So High?

Article

Oct 1999
CRIME DELINQUENCY

Michael Tonry

Most explanations of the unprecedented increase in American incarceration rates are inadequate. Crime rate increases, more punitive public attitudes, postmodernist angst, and cynical politics are all only part of the explanation. Those things characterize all Western countries; in some of these countries, imprisonment rates have long been stable or declining, and, where they are rising, absolute levels and rates of increase are dwarfed by those in America. The scale of the phenomenon is distinctly American. It arises partly from American moralism and partly from structural characteristics of American government that provide little insulation from emotions generated by moral panics and longterm cycles of tolerance and intolerance.

Violent Land: Single Men and Social Disorder from the Frontier to the Inner City

Article

Aug 1998
J South Hist

Social Mobility in Industrial Society

Article

Aug 1960

Repeat TragedyRampage Shootings in American High School and College Settings, 2002-2008

Article

Apr 2009

The authors examine rampage shootings in American high schools after 2002 and consider whether factors identified in their prior research on rampages from 1974 to 2002 account for the more recent cases. The authors find that the five factors—social marginality, individual predisposing factors, cultural scripts, failure of the surveillance system, and availability of guns—remain important features. The authors then contrast these high school shootings with the recent spate of college rampage shootings that resemble the high school cases in some ways but differ in others. College shooters are older and therefore typically further along in the development of serious mental illness.

American Exceptionalism Revisited: The Military-Industrial Complex, Racial Tension, and the Underdeveloped Welfare State

Article

Apr 2010

We examine Democrats’ decline in the House of Representatives from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s. Debates over American exceptionalism in the realm of social policy pay surprisingly little attention to a profound transformation that occurred during and after World War II: on the international stage, the United States emerged as the hegemon; at home, the Pentagon became the largest and most powerful agency in the federal bureaucracy. In modeling electoral losses suffered by Democrats, we show that World War II mobilization played an important role. First, Democrats lost ground in congressional districts where the nascent military-industrial complex was created, specifically in aircraft manufacturing centers. Second, the impact of aircraft manufacturing intersected with wartime in-migration of non-whites. Democrats suffered significantly greater losses where both non-white population and aircraft manufacturing employment increased. Our findings corroborate accounts of the social welfare state that stress partisan control and path dependence. Conservative congresses of the immediate postwar years left an imposing legacy, making it difficult to establish social welfare reforms for decades to come. Whereas most accounts of the rise and fall of the New Deal emphasize different aspects of domestic processes, we demonstrate that militarism and expansion of national security agencies undermined congressional support at a critical juncture. This intersection of wartime mobilization and social policy—and not an inherent and enduring institutional impediment to social welfare—contributed to under-development of the welfare state and abandonment of universal social welfare programs in the United States.

Firing Back: The Growing Threat of Workplace Homicide

Article

Nov 1994

Homicides committed against supervisors and coworkers by disgruntled employees have grown at a disturbing rate in the American workplace. Increasingly, embittered employees and ex-employees are seeking revenge through violence and murder for alleged mistreatment on the job. This article examines patterns and trends in available data and presents a theoretical profile of those who kill at the work site. It suggests that the typical homicide of employers and coworkers is committed by a disgruntled, white, middle-aged male who faces termination or who has recently been fired. Recommendations are advanced for how employers might better respond to problem employees and to homicidal threats at the workplace. These include prevention strategies, such as giving higher priority to the role of human resources, affording employees due process protection against unfair terminations, and changing the importance attached to the meaning of work in people's lives.

From Columbine to Palestine: A comparative analysis of rampage shooters in the United States and volunteer suicide bombers in the Middle East

Article

Mar 2011
AGGRESS VIOLENT BEH

Previous research comparing rampage shooters in the U.S. and volunteer suicide bombers in the Middle East appears to be virtually non-existent. When these two types of suicidal killers have been mentioned in the same context, it has primarily been to dismiss any possible connections. Rampage shooters are generally assumed to be mentally unbalanced, while suicide bombers are seen as extreme, but rational, political actors. However, this review explores the possibility that the primary differences between the two types of killers are cultural, not individual, and that in terms of their underlying psychology and motivation, they are actually quite similar. In both cases, substantial evidence indicates that these perpetrators of murder–suicide share many of the following characteristics: (1) they had troubled childhoods, (2) they lived in oppressive social environments, (3) they suffered from low self-esteem, (4) they were triggered by a personal crisis, (5) they were seeking revenge, and (6) they were seeking fame and glory.

The Historiography of American Violence

Article

May 2003
HOMICIDE STUD

Historians have generally agreed that the United States has always been an extremely violent nation; however, since the 1950s they have been myopic in their treatment of violence in America and have not provided the American people with essential information about their society and culture. Those historians who focused on violence in America, until the 1990s, have focused on only one form of violence-collective social violence. Largely overlooked, and equally significant, are interpersonal violence (including criminal and domestic violence) and the effect of war. This deficiency helps explain why Americans seem genuinely at a loss to understand the nature, character, and frequency of violence in America's past and present, especially when a high-profile violent incident occurs. This article surveys the historiography of violence in America through the 1990s and examines the contributions of historians and legal scholars who have focused on interpersonal and criminal violence.

A People''''s History of the United States: 1492 to Present

Article

Howard Zinn

American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword

Article

Nov 1996

Seymour Martin Lipset

Social support, inequality, and homicide: A cross-national test of an integrated theoretical model

Article

Mar 2003
CRIMINOLOGY

Social support, institutional anomie, and macrolevel general strain perspectives have emerged as potentially important explanations of aggregate levels of crime. Drawing on insights from each of these perspectives in a cross-national context, the analyses show that 1) our measure of social support is inversely related to homicide rates, 2) economic inequality also maintains a direct relationship with homicide rates, and 3) social support significantly interacts with economic inequality to influence homicide rates. The implications of the analysis for ongoing discourse concerning the integration of these criminological theories and the implications for the development of effective crime control policies are discussed.

Income inequality and homicide rates: Cross-national data and criminological theories

Article

Mar 2006
CRIMINOLOGY

Previous studies have identified but failed to explain satisfactorily the positive relationship between income inequality and homicide rates. This paper proposes an explanation based on the concept of relative deprivation, but also reviews the criminological literature in a search for other theoretically relevant variables. After assessing problems of sampling and measurement, and using a considerably larger sample than used in previous studies, multiple regression analyses reveal positive net effects of both inequality and population growth (reflecting a higher proportion of young people) on homicide rates. Further analyses show that the effects of inequality on homicide are more pronounced in more democratic nations, a finding supporting the relative deprivation explanation. Income inequality also has stronger effects in more densely populated countries, in wealthier nations, and in countries with larger internal security forces.

A Methodological Addition to the Cross-National Empirical Literature on Social Structure and Homicide: A First Test of the Poverty-Homicide Thesis

Article

Feb 2008
CRIMINOLOGY

William Alex Pridemore

Dozens of cross-national studies of homicide have been published in the last three decades. Although nearly all these studies test for an association between inequality and homicide, no studies test for a poverty—homicide association. This absence is disconcerting given that poverty is one of the most consistent predictors of area homicide rates in the abundant empirical literature on social structure and homicide in the United States. Using a sample that coincides closely with similar recent studies, applying a proxy for poverty (infant mortality) that is commonly employed in noncriminological cross-national research, and controlling for several common covariates (including inequality), this study provides the first test of the poverty—homicide hypothesis at the cross-national level. The results reveal a positive and significant association between a nation's level of poverty and its homicide rate. The findings also suggest that we may need to reassess the strong conclusions about an inequality—homicide association drawn from prior studies, as this relationship disappears when poverty is included in the model.

Homicide: Explaining America's Exceptionalism

Article

Feb 2006

Eric Monkkonen

A people's history of the United States : 1492-present / Howard Zinn

Article

Jan 2005

Howard Zinn

Incluye bibliografía e índice

Democracy In America

Article

Jan 2000

Alexis de Tocqueville

The electronic version of this book has been prepared by scanning TIFF 400 dpi color and greyscale images of the pages of the text. Original source: Democracy in America / by Alexis de Tocqueville ; translated by Henry Reeve ; with an original preface and notes, by John C. Spencer.; Tocqueville, Alexis de, 1805-1859.; xvi, 455 p. ; 24 cm.; New York :; This electronic text file was created by Optical Character Recognition (OCR). No corrections have been made to the OCR-ed text and no editing has been done to the content of the original document. Encoding has been done through an automated process using the recommendations for Level 2 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines. Digital page images are linked to the text file.

Handgun regulations, crime, assaults, and homicide. A tale of two cities

Article

Dec 1988

To investigate the associations among handgun regulations, assault and other crimes, and homicide, we studied robberies, burglaries, assaults, and homicides in Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, from 1980 through 1986. Although similar to Seattle in many ways, Vancouver has adopted a more restrictive approach to the regulation of handguns. During the study period, both cities had similar rates of burglary and robbery. In Seattle, the annual rate of assault was modestly higher than that in Vancouver (simple assault: relative risk, 1.18; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.15 to 1.20; aggravated assault: relative risk, 1.16; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.19). However, the rate of assaults involving firearms was seven times higher in Seattle than in Vancouver. Despite similar overall rates of criminal activity and assault, the relative risk of death from homicide, adjusted for age and sex, was significantly higher in Seattle than in Vancouver (relative risk, 1.63; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.28 to 2.08). Virtually all of this excess risk was explained by a 4.8-fold higher risk of being murdered with a handgun in Seattle as compared with Vancouver. Rates of homicide by means other than guns were not substantially different in the two study communities. We conclude that restricting access to handguns may reduce the rate of homicide in a community.

The Approval of Suicide: A Social-Psychological Model

Article

Feb 1998

Robert Agnew

This article develops and tests a model that seeks to explain individual variation in the approval of suicide. The model draws on the three leading theories of crime/deviance: strain, social learning, and social control theories. It is predicted that individuals will be most approving of suicide when (1) they have had major life problems that could not be solved through conventional channels, (2) they were taught or exposed to beliefs that favored or were conducive to suicide, and (3) they are not strongly attached or committed to conventional individuals and groups. These predictions are explored with data from the 1990 and 1991 General Social Surveys, based on a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. The results provide partial support for the predictions, especially the second prediction, with the strongest correlates of suicide approval being education, political liberalism, and a set of religion variables.

Firearm Availability and Homicide Rates Across 26 High-Income Countries

Article

Jan 2001
J TRAUMA

Among developed nations, the United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership, and the highest homicide rate. We examine whether the United States is merely an exception, or if a relationship between gun availability and homicide exists across all developed nations. Homicide rates for the early 1990s come from 26 of 27 of the highly industrialized or high-income countries with greater than 1 million population as classified by the World Bank. Two common proxies for gun availability are used, the percentage of suicides with a firearm, and the"Cook index," the average of the percentage of suicides with a firearm and the percentage of homicides with a firearm. In simple regressions (no control variables) across 26 high-income nations, there is a strong and statistically significant association between gun availability and homicide rates. Across developed countries, where guns are more available, there are more homicides.

Suicide Acceptability Is Related to Suicide Planning in U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults

Article

May 2007

The association between adolescents' and young adults' attitudes toward suicide and their own suicidality across five racial-ethnic classifications was studied in a nationally representative sample of 3,301 youth ages 14 to 22 years from the National Annenberg Risk Survey of Youth. Results indicate that adolescents and young adults who most strongly believe that it is acceptable to end one's life are more than fourteen times more likely to make a plan to kill themselves as those who do not have such beliefs (p < .001). Future behavioral prevention and intervention research should take into consideration adolescents' and young adults' approval of suicide as a risk factor for taking their own lives.

The Association of Suicide Rates with Individual-Level Suicide Attitudes: A Cross-National Analysis

Article

Mar 2008
SOC SCI QUART

Objective. Research on the predictors of individual-level attitudes toward suicide has neglected the possible role of contextual-level predictors. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by assessing the association between suicide rates and the attitudes of individuals. Based on social learning theory, it is argued that persons socialized in nations with relatively high rates of suicide are more likely to be exposed to suicidal role models, which provide positive definitions of suicide. Methods. Data refer to 40,873 adults in 31 nations, and are taken from the World Health Organization and World Values Surveys. Given the bi-level nature of the data, hierarchical linear modeling techniques (HLM) are utilized. Additional predictor variables are incorporated from previous research and include religious participation and political orientation from social learning theory, marital status and life satisfaction from control theory, and basic demographics such as age and gender. Results. The results of the HLM indicate that controlling for individual-level predictors, as well as other Level 2 variables, persons residing in nations with relatively high suicide rates are more approving of suicide than their counterparts. The model was replicated for the prediction of support for euthanasia. A social learning perspective was further supported by results linking 1970 suicide rates with suicide acceptability among older adults in 1990. Conclusion. National suicide rates are predictive of individual-level suicide acceptability. However, the main predictors of suicide acceptability included a measure from social learning theory, religiosity, and a neglected measure of control theory, life satisfaction.

Going postal: Rage, murder, and rebellion: From Reagan’s workplaces to Clinton’s columbine and beyond

M Ames

Ames, M. (2005). Going postal: Rage, murder, and rebellion: From Reagan's workplaces to Clinton's columbine and beyond. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press.

The Sandy Hook shootings and America’s culture of death

L R Beres

Beres, L. R. (2012, December 19). The Sandy Hook shootings and America's culture of death. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/12/19/ the-sandy-hook-shootings-and-americas-culture-of-death

Public Mass Shooters and Firearms: A Cross-National Study of 171 Countries

Abstract

No full-text available

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