2023 Off To Historically Fast Start For Mass Shootings

Topline

The spate of mass shootings that have plagued the U.S. over the past few weeks is unprecedented to start a year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which shows the country is on by far its fastest pace for mass shootings in recent history.

Monterey Park, California, Mayor Henry Lo kneels at a makeshift memorial outside the scene of a … [+] deadly mass shooting at a ballroom dance studio Monday in Monterey Park, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

At least 37 mass shootings with four or more injuries or deaths have occurred in the U.S. since January 1, meaning this year has already set a decade-long record for the most in the month of January, according to the archive, which has kept statistics on shootings since 2014.

The previous high for January was set last year, when there were 34 mass shootings.

Between 2014 and 2022, the U.S. had 25 mass shootings in a typical January, according to the archive.

Definitions vary for what constitutes a mass shooting, but the Gun Violence Archive considers mass shootings as incidents where at least four people are shot—not including the shooter.

News Peg

The two most prolific shootings of the year happened over the weekend. Eleven people have died and nine others were hospitalized with injuries as a result of Saturday night’s shooting at a dance studio near Los Angeles, while 12 people were shot and injured at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nightclub early Sunday morning. Authorities believe victims of the California shooting were selected at random, while police in Louisiana have described the Baton Rouge shooting as “targeted.”

Surprising Fact

Two students were killed and an employee was shot Monday at an educational mentorship in Des Moines, Iowa, though the event does not qualify as a mass shooting under commonly used definitions.

Key Background

The number of mass shootings and their casualty counts have risen dramatically in recent years. According to data from the Violence Project, which defines mass shootings as public incidents where at least four victims are killed, 363 people died in mass shootings in the U.S. between 2017 and 2022–over 100 more deaths than any other six-year period dating back to at least 1966. The spike in mass shootings—along with a general rise in gun violence, which has coincided with an increase in gun ownership—has sparked heated political debate over the source of the growing problem and potential solution. The Democratic-controlled Congress last year passed the most sweeping gun control legislation in decades, encouraging states to adopt red-flag laws and enhancing background checks for buyers under 21, among other measures, but gun control advocates argued the new restrictions didn’t go nearly far enough. Republicans, meanwhile, have labeled the rise in random mass shootings a mental health problem and have tended to focus their attention on shootings in urban areas, which they largely attribute to a decrease in police officer staffing and morale blamed on the hard-left “defund the police” movement that gained traction after George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

What To Watch For

Republican control of the House makes it seem unlikely any new federal gun control legislation will be passed through at least early 2025. New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) voted against last year’s gun control bill, even though it had enough GOP support in the Senate to overcome the filibuster.