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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 27, 2023

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Yeah, if that data includes gang shootouts, then of course the South is going to be more represented. Are there no datasets of "mass shootings" or school shootings that include only what the layman would think of when they hear those terms?

The data includes shootings that happen in or near schools from 1999 to present. If gang members are shooting each other at school, it would be included. If they're shooting each other elsewhere, it is not. It's fair to raise the objection that some of these incidents are not 'active shooter'-type events that we think of, but making that demarcation is not so easy. I picked ten incidents at random and came up with:

  1. 1 instance of a parent being struck by stray gunfire from nearby while picking up her child

  2. 2 disputes between students that escalated into shooting (no indication of gang violence in either case)

  3. 1 instance where a former student arrived with a rifle allegedly looking for another student. He shot one person and appeared to be firing indiscriminately (if not very accurately), but is also reported to have let several witnesses go.

  4. 1 instance of the police shooting a child with an airsoft gun

  5. 1 instance of gunfire by an unknown shooter who withdrew

  6. 1 instance of a student bringing a gun to school and shooting himself with it

  7. 1 instance of a former student showing up to a graduation practice with a gun but being thwarted by police/security

  8. 1 instance of a student showing up at school with a gun and being thwarted school administrator + police

  9. 1 instance of a student showing up at school with a gun and opening fire

Of those 10 incidents, I'd consider 1, 2, 4, and 6 to be unambiguously not active shooter-type events (5 total). 7, 8, and 9 unambiguously are. 3 and 5 are debatable. Someone with more time than me is free to go through everyone one of the 366 incidents, but going off this small sample you're looking at roughly 30-50% being 'true' school shootings or attempts thereof.

Concerning aside: school shootings were flat-ish up through 2015-2016 and have been accelerating markedly since (except for a big dip in 2020 for obvious reasons).

I think there's literally only been a few dozen school shootings in the Columbine style in US history. Making your own database would not be hard.

Look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States_(2000%E2%80%93present) - it lists 80+251+125 incidents since the turn of the century. Of those, 8+17+6 had 3 or more deaths. 7 have 10 or more.