There is no unified definition of a mass shooting; hence, the number of shootings in the United States this year ranges from seven to 372.
An unknown gunman, determined to be 18 years old, invaded Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 and began fire, murdering 19 pupils and two teachers before he was shot and killed by authorities.
This massacre is only the latest in a string of similar events throughout the United States. As of July 6, 322 mass shootings in US in which four or more individuals were shot or killed have been recorded by the non-profit Gun Violence Archive.
Since the school shooting in Texas occurred more than a month ago, there have been at least 109 additional mass shootings throughout the United States. There have been seven and three hundred seventy-four mass shootings in the US this year, depending on the database used.
How Is A Mass Shooting Defined?
At least five current databases record mass shootings in US, each with different criteria for the minimum number of victims, location of the occurrence, and motive of the shooter(s).
Mass shootings are defined most narrowly by the Mother Jones and The Violence Project trackers, which only include instances with at least three or four deaths, occurred in a public location, and had an impartial shooter.
According to the Everytown for Gun Safety database, a mass shooting is any incident in which four or more people are murdered, regardless of the location or circumstances.
The most extensive definitions are found in the Gun Violence Archive and the Mass Shooting Database, which cover every occurrence in which handguns were used to murder or injure four or more persons, regardless of location or motive.
Given these parameters, the number of mass shootings in the US in 2022 ranges from six to eight hundred and eighteen. It is the number of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States as of July 6, 2022:
Mother Jones:Â
Seven mass shootings, 52 dead, and 77 injured
The Violence Project:Â
One mass shooting, ten dead, and three injured
Everytown For Gun Safety:Â
11 mass shootings, 70 dead, and 23 injured
Gun Violence Archive:Â
322 mass shootings, 351 dead, and 1,425 injured
Mass Shooting Tracker:Â
374 mass shootings, 430 dead, and 1,566 injured
 The FBI does not keep detailed statistics on mass shootings but instead considers any incidence in which four or more persons are killed to be a “mass murder” on a national scale.
Active Shootings In The US On The Rise:
Inconsistent definitions of mass shootings by government agencies have led to differing evaluations of how often they occur and whether they are more prevalent today than in the past. The FBI’s definition of “active shooting occurrences,” agreed upon by federal entities, is a good proxy.
Most active shooter situations include one or more firearms and no discernible pattern in the selection of victims. Yet, they are “actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill persons in a limited and packed space.”
The FBI’s most recent data, made public on May 23, states that 61 active shooter events in the United States in 2022, making it the worst year on record. The assaults last year occurred in 30 states and resulted in 103 deaths and 140 injuries.
In 2014 and 2016, the FBI recorded a total of 20 incidents; in 2017, that number increased to 31; in both 2021 and 2022, they anticipate recording 30 incidents.
The FBI admitted that the scope of their active shooter report did not extend to all instances of gun violence or even mass shootings.Â
The Deadliest Mass Shootings In US:
In the last decade, the United States has had seven of the ten worst mass shootings in its history, with four occurring in Texas. The Violence Project, which has tracked mass shootings in United States since 1966, has identified the following as the deadliest mass shootings in American history:
Las Vegas Concert – October 1, 2017:
A gunman at a country music festival murdered 58 people before killing himself in his 32nd-floor hotel room.
Orlando Nightclub – June 12, 2016:
A gunman opened fire inside a homosexual bar, killing 49 people before authorities killed him.
Virginia Tech – April 16, 2007:
An unknown 23-year-old student at Virginia Tech opened fire on April 16, murdering 27 fellow students and five staff members before taking his own life.Â
Sandy Hook Elementary – December 14, 2012:
A 20-year-old shooter murdered 20 pupils and six adults before turning the pistol on himself.
Sutherland Springs Church – November 5, 2017:
A man discharged from the Air Force for abusing his wife and kid killed 25 people at the rural Texas church where his in-laws worshipped before turning the gun on himself.
 Luby’s Shooting – October 16, 1991:
A person, age 35, killed 23 people and himself at a Luby’s restaurant in Texas by driving his vehicle through the front window and opening fire.Â
El Paso Walmart – August 3, 2019:
A man in El Paso, Texas, opened fire inside a Walmart, killing 22 people. The assault was justified as “a retaliation to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” according to a statement thought to have been authored by the suspect. The police have arrested the suspect.
San Ysidro McDonalds – July 18, 1984:
A 41-year-old killer murdered 21 people and injured 19 more before being shot by a police sniper.Â
Robb Elementary School – May 24, 2022:Â
Nineteen children and two instructors were killed when an armed teenager assaulted the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The teenager, later killed by authorities, was just eighteen years old.
Parkland High School – February 14, 2018:
A former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, shot and murdered 17 people, including students and teachers.
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