Study: 1 in 15 US adults has experienced a mass shooting firsthand
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About 1 in 15 U.S. adults has been on scene at a mass shooting, a new University of Colorado Boulder study published in JAMA Network Open reveals.
Why it matters: The study underscores the pervasiveness of gun violence in the U.S. and the increasing likelihood that everyday Americans could be caught in the crossfire.
The big picture: "Our findings lend credence to the idea of a 'mass shooting generation,'" senior author David Pyrooz said in a statement.
- "People who grew up in the aftermath of Columbine have these unique experiences that are really distinguishable from the older population," he said.
By the numbers: About 7% of 10,000 U.S. adults surveyed online in January 2024 said they had been present at a mass shooting — defined as an incident where four or more people were shot.
- 2% reported being injured, whether by gunfire, by shrapnel or in the chaos of people fleeing.
- Among those uninjured, about 75% said they suffered psychological distress.
- More than half of those who had witnessed a mass shooting said it happened within the last decade.
Between the lines: Gen Z and men were at the highest risk, the study found.
- And for most survivors, the violence hit close to home. More than three-fourths of mass shootings took place in their own communities.
Zoom in: Colorado has experienced at least 61 mass shootings in the last 10 years, killing 82 people and injuring 246, according to data on the state health department's website.
- In 2023 alone, there were 16 mass shootings in the state — the highest in at least a decade, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
- Data for 2024 is not readily available.
What they're saying: "It's not a question of if one will occur in your community anymore, but when," Pyrooz said. "We need to have stronger systems in place to care for people in the aftermath of this tragic violence."
The other side: Despite the grim reality, mass shootings actually declined nationwide last year — dropping nearly 25% from 2023.
- The U.S. reported 503 mass shootings in 2024, down from 659 the year before, per the Gun Violence Archive.
- The decrease could be attributable to the waning social and economic upheavals set off by the coronavirus pandemic, Giffords Law Center's research director Kelly Drane told Axios last year.
What we're watching: Colorado lawmakers are considering a controversial gun control bill that would restrict the sale of most semiautomatic firearms, like the one used by the Boulder King Soopers shooter in 2021.
- The legislation — sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat whose son was killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting — has been amended more than a dozen times, Colorado Politics reports.