U.S. Mass Shootings 2024

Gun violence has been a major cause of death for Americans, according to U.S. CDC. Among all forms of gun violence, mass shootings remains as the leading concern for the country. A Rockefeller Institute research found that the United States has experienced a higher number of public mass shootings compared to any other nation worldwide. American society is deeply divided on the issue of gun control. By analyzing the patterns associated with mass shootings—particularly in terms of time and geographical features—we can uncover critical insights that may inform policy decisions and community responses.

Questions to answer

  1. Time pattern: Which month have the highest number of mass shootings? Which day in a week sees the most mass shootings?
  2. Geographical pattern: What’s the total number of mass shootings by states ?
  3. Severity: What’s the total casualties (defined as individuals injured or killed) by city or county? What’s the total casualties by states?
  4. What’s the relationship between gun law strength and mass shooting casualties?

Data source

  1. The mass shooting data, which is also the main data for my analysis, is collected from Gun Violence Archive. It is a non-profit group dedicated to catalog each incident of gun violence in America. In its definition, mass shooting equals to an event where at least four individuals are either killed or injured due to gun violence.

  2. The data on U.S. population in each state is sourced from Kaggle.

  3. The data on gun law strength is collected from Everytown for Gun Safety, a independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to understanding and reducing gun violence in America.

Summary of Findings

1. Mass shootings were found to occur most often during summer months, peaking in June and July.

June, July, and August recorded the highest number of mass shooting incidents, with 72, 62, 52 cases, respectively. The increase during these months may be linked to various factors, including warmer weather, which often leads to more outdoor activities and gatherings. Additionally, certain events or holidays that occur during the summer may also contribute to this trend. For example, the Independence Day celebrations. There were 16 mass shootings happened on July 4 and July 5.

Since the data used only records mass shootings up to October of this year, it is difficult to determine which month has the fewest incidents.

2. Mass shootings were likely to occur on weekends

There were a total of 227 cases of mass shootings that occurred on weekends, which accounts for more than 50% of the total incidents. This data indicates that mass shooting incidents are more frequent on weekends, especially on Sundays, while weekdays generally see fewer incidents. Tuesday recorded the lowest number of incidents.

3. Chicago emerged as the most violent city in terms of both incident numbers and casualties

In an analysis of mass shooting victims across the top 10 cities, Chicago stands out significantly with a total of 132 victims from 25 incidents, which includes 15 fatalities and 117 injuries. The figure is nearly equal to the combined total of Philadelphia (83 victims) and Washington city (58 victims). The remaining cities in the top 10 have relatively close victim numbers, with around 45 each.

This data suggests a significant concentration of mass shooting victims in a few major cities, particularly Chicago and Philadelphia.

4. The Northeast and South regions has witnessed far more mass shootings, on the contrast, northern and western part is relatively a safer place.

This map is set to examine the number of victims are there in each states in 2024. As shown, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Texas have the highest casualty figures, with each state reporting over 140 victims. These four states are both populous, which may be one reason for this high casualties.

In contrast, some states in northern and western regions, for example, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming, have not seen a single victims from mass shootings.

The average number of victims per mass shooting is typically between 4 and slightly over 7, a figure influenced by the definition of a mass shooting as an event in which four or more individuals are shot. Those figures reflect a significant human toll and highlighting the devastating impact these events can have on communities.

While this average provides a general understanding, it is important to note that individual incidents can vary greatly, with some resulting in far higher casualty counts. For example, in a case happened in Akron on June 2, 28 people were injured. In another violent incident in Joliet, eight people lost their lives.

5. The Relationship Between Mass Shooting Casualties and Gun Law Strength

This analysis reveals an overall negative correlation between the strength of gun laws and the number of casualties resulting from mass shootings. Specifically, as the strictness of gun laws increases, the number of casualties tends to decrease. The state of Illinois sets as an obvious exception, though. Despite having some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, Illinois has faced considerable casualties in mass shootings.

When comparing Democratic and Republican states, as defined by the 2024 presidential election results, significant differences exist in the strength of gun laws. However, in cases where casualties per million people are low, the impact of gun law strength appears to be less pronounced.