One of the challenging aspects of discussing mass shootings is the difficulty of defining a mass shooting. There are many definitions that exist across organizations and media outlets, and these different definitions influence the way we think and understand these incidents. At the Coalition we use the Gun Violence Archive’s definition of a mass shooting: an incident in which four or more people are shot and either killed or injured, not including the shooter. 

 

When we use this definition of a mass shooting, we see that several hundreds of mass shootings occur every year, but few gain the level of media attention that a mass shooting at a school or shopping center might. The vast majority of these shootings occur in urban neighborhoods, disproportionately impacting Black communities,(1) but these shootings often receive little if any media attention.

 

While the majority of mass shootings are the type described above, that doesn’t erase the trauma and grief of this other category of mass shootings, those that occur at schools, shopping centers, places of worship, and others. As with many types of gun violence, the threat of violence leaves behind its own trauma and consequences. More than half of all teenagers report worrying that there will be a mass shooting at their school, and that number is even greater for teens of color.(2) For those who survive a mass shooting, there are lifelong mental and physical health impacts. While research on the aftermath of mass shootings is limited, it is estimated that 95% of survivors of a mass shooting will experience PTSD in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and a significant number of survivors experience other serious mental health issues.(3)