Mass Shootings and Assault Weapons
UPDATE: This post has been updated to include the El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH shootings that occurred over the 24-hour period on August 3rd and 4th, 2019.
In his book “Rampage Nation” Louis Klarevas of the University of Massachusetts at Boston notes that gun massacres (defined as a shooting incident in which six or more people are shot and killed) fell 37 percent during the period the federal assault weapons ban was in place between 1994 and 2004, and that in the ten years after it lapsed, they went up an alarming 183 percent.
See for yourself:
Below are the deadliest mass shootings in modern US History. Note that only two (Columbine and Atlanta, both in 1999) occurred during the 10 year period (1994 - 2004) the assault weapons ban was in place.
Shootings where a semi-automatic rifle was used are highlighted.
|
Incident |
Year |
Number Killed |
Number Injured |
| El Paso Texas |
2019 |
20 |
26 |
| Dayton, Ohio |
2019 |
10 (incl. the perp) |
26 |
| Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting |
2018 |
11 |
6 |
| Santa Fe High School shooting |
2018 |
10 |
14 |
| Stoneman Douglas High School shooting |
2018 |
17 |
17 |
| Las Vegas shooting |
2017 |
59 (incl. the perp.) |
851 (422 from gunfire) |
| Sutherland Springs church shooting |
2017 |
27 (incl. the perp.) |
20 |
| Orlando nightclub shooting |
2016 |
50 (incl. the perp.) |
53 |
| San Bernardino attack |
2015 |
16 (incl. both perps.) |
24 |
| Umpqua Community College shooting |
2015 |
10 (incl. the perp.) |
8 |
| Washington Navy Yard shooting |
2013 |
13 (incl. the perp.) |
8 |
| Aurora shooting |
2012 |
12 |
70 |
| Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting |
2012 |
28 (incl. the perp.) |
2 |
| Binghamton shootings |
2009 |
14 (incl the perp.) |
4 |
| Fort Hood shooting |
2009 |
14 |
33 (incl the perp) |
| Geneva County massacre |
2009 |
11 (incl. the perp.) |
6 |
| Virginia Tech shooting |
2007 |
33 (incl. the perp.) |
23 |
| Red Lake shootings |
2005 |
10 (incl. the perp.) |
5 |
| Atlanta shootings |
1999 |
10 (incl. the perp.) |
13 |
| Columbine High School massacre |
1999 |
15 (inc. both perps.) |
24 |
| Luby’s shooting |
1991 |
24 (incl. the perp.) |
27 |
| GMAC shootings |
1990 |
10 (incl. the perp.) |
6 |
| Edmond post office shooting |
1986 |
15 (incl. the perp.) |
6 |
| Palm Sunday massacre |
1984 |
10 |
0 |
| San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre |
1984 |
23 (inc. the perp.) |
19 |
| Wah Mee massacre |
1983 |
13 |
1 |
| Wilkes-Barre shootings |
1982 |
13 |
1 |
| Easter Sunday massacre |
1975 |
11 |
0 |
| University of Texas tower shooting |
1966 |
18 (incl. the perp) |
31 |
| Camden shootings |
1949 |
13 |
0 |
Additional reading:
Wounds from Military-style Rifles? A Ghastly Thing to See - New York Times
With AR-15s, Mass Shooters Attack With the Rifle Firepower Typically Used by Infantry Troops - New York Times
Why the AR-15 keeps appearing at America’s deadliest mass shootings - USA Today
Is It Time to Bring Back the Assault Weapons Ban? - Statista
Assault guns are not just about mass shootings — they’re also a big factor in attacks on police and other crimes - LA Times