As of September 2024, California had the most mass shootings in the United States, with 26 total shootings since 1982. The source defines a mass shooting as a shooting where three or more people were killed. Recently, a mass shooting occurred in the state of Maine on October 26, 2023, during which one of the highest number of fatalities from a mass shooting was recorded after Robert Card opened fire in a bowling alley and a bar, killing 18 and injuring 13 others.
Firearms in the U.S.
Mass shootings in the United States are disturbingly common. In comparison with other Western countries, there are significantly more shootings in the U.S., which some theorize is due to the relatively lax gun control laws. Gun control laws in the U.S. are dependent on the state, and the right to own a firearm is enshrined in the United States Constitution.
Mass shootings
The worst mass shooting in the U.S. was the Las Vegas Strip massacre in 2017, which resulted in 58 deaths and 546 injuries. 13 of the worst mass shootings in the United States have occurred since 2015 and the vast majority of these incidents in the U.S. have been carried out by shooters who are White and male.
Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state
Only states where a shooting was reported are shown.
Since 2013, the source defines a mass shooting as any single attack in a public place with three or more fatalities, in line with the definition by the FBI. Before 2013, a mass shooting was defined as any single attack in a public place with four or more fatalities.
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Mother Jones. (December 4, 2024). Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/
Mother Jones. "Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state." Chart. December 4, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/
Mother Jones. (2024). Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/
Mother Jones. "Number of Mass Shootings in The United States between 1982 and September 2024, by State." Statista, Statista Inc., 4 Dec 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/
Mother Jones, Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of mass shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024, by state [Graph], Mother Jones, December 4, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/811541/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-state/
