Europe has also been the victim of multiple mass shootings in recent years, most of them linked to acts of terrorism. It has 120 firearms per 100 people more than twice as many. Switzerland 2. The first mass shooting took place in November 2007, when a student killed eight people at a school in Tuusula. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except for material where copyright is reserved by a party other than FEE. ), More than a hundred years ago Mark Twain noted, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.". Does Lankfords paper also have that problem? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Of these, 22,938 were suicides, and 14,415 were homicides. 3. Provisional data for the following year suggests nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths in 2021. Some countries near the bottom of the list appear to have no data; this indicates that their estimates are virtually indistinguishable from 0. Few topics of discussion can evoke a more passionate (or politically charged) emotional reaction than the subject of mass shootings. The data also shows nearly 53 people are killed each day by a firearm in the US. This is due to the fact that there can be different interpretations of what constitutes a mass shooting in different cultures, resulting in varying definitions that can mask the true number of incidents. There has been a much bigger increase over time in the number of mass shootings in the rest of the world compared to the USA. Other databases discard some or all of these incidents. Lankfords name pops up in a montage of media reports which cite his research as evidence that America leads the world in mass shootings. More recently, in 2019, another mass shooting took place in Utrecht where four people were murdered and six others were injured. Between 1998 and 2019, numerous other incidents across the country saw multiple victims injured or killed by firearms. The US trails many other advanced nations in mass shooting frequency and death rate. Gathering data on international incidents is not easy when other governments and organizations define crimes differently. Sadly, these are only a few examples out of the many other mass shootings to occur in Europe over the past few years that have resulted in numerous fatalities and victims injured. Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation. Many other studies and articles also offer opinions or interpretations counter to that of the CPRC. Many argue that Americas high rate of gun possession explains the high rate of mass shootings. As a point of comparison, in 2022, the US had 647 mass shooting incidents, but only 12 of these had 3 or more fatalities. "The average incident rate per capita for the 28 EU countries is 0.0602 with a 95% confidence Interval of .0257 to .09477. Shooters generally either die by suicide afterward, or are restrained or killed by law enforcement officers. Germany 5 5. The SAS found that gun ownership among civilians . Countries With The Lowest Murder Rates Despite years of financial woes and internal strife, the National Rifle Association (NRA) remains the most powerful gun lobby in the United States, with a substantial budget to influence members of Congress on gun policy. In fact, roughly two-thirds of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. are suicides. But our nations relatively obscure ranking on this chart is proof that so-called gun violence has little relationship to the presence of guns in citizens homes and hands. In each of the last three years there have been more than 600 mass shootings, almost two a day on average. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. United States 101 2. The death penalty can be imposed for gun-related crimes in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. from the Early Warning Project and the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. An assist goes to the US media and politicians. [Editor's Note: Lankford has since published his research. Sources: We consider countries ranked in the top 30 to be at high risk. It needs additional context - PolitiFact, Mass Shootings in America 2009-2021 - Everytown Research, Confirmation That the United States Has Six Times Its Global Share of Public Mass Shooters - EJW. By contrast, in Canada, the figure is 0.47 per 100,000. The perpetrator then committed suicide. This leads to a more accurate day-to-day impression and country-to-country comparison. Sweden stands out for a high level of gun homicide compared with other European countries, at about 4 deaths per million inhabitants per year. Surprisingly, Norway is, with an outlier mass shooting death rate of 1.888 per million (high no doubt because of the rifle assault by political extremist Anders Brevik that claimed 77 lives in 2011). Alabama: 1. . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Katy Perry breaks down on 'American Idol': 'Our country has f--king failed us! He has also declined to provide lists of the news sources and languages he used to compile his list of cases. In the wake of the most recent U.S. mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 pupils and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old with an assault rifle, a comparison considering how the. The difference between us and other countries, [which] explains why we have more of these attackers, was the firearm ownership rate, Lankford said. In each of the last three years there have been more than 600 mass shootings, almost two a day on average. In China, Chairman Mao Zedong once famously said: Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. The Communist Party implemented one of the strictest gun control laws in 1996, banning possession, manufacturing, trade, transport, lease of guns for anyone other than state-approved personnel, such as law enforcers, security guards, approved athletes and hunters. The whole episode should provide a cautionary tale of academic malpractice and how evidence is often cherry-picked and not questioned when it fits preconceived ideas. Attacks in the US are not only less frequent than other countries, they are also much less deadly on average. The second shooting occurred on May 24th, 2014 when a gunman opened fire at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people. Laws vary by state but California, for example, has banned ownership of assault weapons with limited exceptions. His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Star Tribune. European countries have strict regulations that ban civilians from bearing guns, with few exceptions. Three of the top five countries with the most gun deaths overall are in South America, one is in North America, and one is in Asia. Jonathan Miltimore is the Managing Editor of FEE.org. - Snopes, US Mass Shootings, 19822021 - Mother Jones, That viral tweet about mass shootings by country? The US does have the most mass shootings to the point where if you compare the typical annual death rate per million people from "mass public shootings" the US has a figure of 0.058 whereas every other country in North America and Europe is 0 (these were the only countries included in the study). "The United States is the only advanced country where this kind of mass violence occurs.. A more important oversight was the report's use of average deaths per capita instead of a more stable metric. With high and growing rates of gun ownership, the United States of America, according to this new study, enjoyed below-average incidents of mass public shootings from the two decades 1998-2017. The length of the bar indicates the estimated risk. Myth 3: Mass shootings are responsible for a high percentage of gun deaths. In fact, our 330 million population has the same number of people as the 140 smallest countries in the world. (I emailed Lankford inquiring about his research. Attacks in the US are not only less frequent than other countries, they are also much less deadly on average." It added, "Out of the 97 countries where we have identified mass public shootings occurring, the United States ranks 64th in the per capita frequency of these attacks and 65th in the murder rate." Switzerland hasn't had a mass shooting since 2001, when a man stormed the local parliament in Zug, killing 14 people and then himself. In terms of rates of private gun ownership, the United States of America rules, at least by official data, rules the planet. She is the author of "Ready to Defend: Tips for Living the Armed Lifestyle," and is a contributor to numerous gun-related blogs and print publications. Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Missouri and Alabama have the highest firearm mortality rates in the country, according to the CDC. There have been two mass shootings in Italy, ranking the country ninth in the world in terms of the number of mass shootings. There are strict regulations on gun ownership across the region, and getting permission usually requires jumping through layers of bureaucracy, including a psychological assessment and a training process. Many statisticians believe the reason the CRPC study's results seem so counterintuitive is that they are incorrect. Countries with similar levels of gun-related deaths tend to be still-developing countries mired in violent civil unrest, revolution, or war. The same is true for mass shootings overall, when looking at shootings of four or more people in one instance. There have been two mass shootings in Switzerland, ranking the country eleventh in the world in terms of the number of mass shootings. There have been 214 mass shootings defined by Gun Violence Archive as one in which at least 4 people were shotin the US within the first 145 days of the year. Homicide rates from firearms per 100,000 people by country. The top 10 countries in the lists appear mostly as repeats, but with different ranks. With the country's strictest gun control laws, California probably shouldn't hold itself out as a model for the rest of the country to follow. The US accounts for almost half of all of the worlds mass shootings over this timeframe. Between 2019 and 2021, the state's annual mass shooting homicide rate of 1.4 per one million people was lower than the national . Looking at just a third of the time Lankford studied, we still found 15 times as many shooters. ', Pool hall mass shooter who killed 7 taken out by cops, accomplice surrenders, MSU student injured in shooting is paralyzed from chest down, Mississippi gunman who killed 6, including ex-wife, had history mental illness, source claims, from the Crime Prevention Research Center, 'Taking on Trump' isn't the job of an attorney general, GOPers stand up for life and against AG Merrick Garland, Biden's WHO pandemic treaty would kill Americans in the name of 'equity', 'Tis the month Don 'GodBlessUs' Lemon and many other celebs were born, 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, Kanye West and 'wife' Bianca Censori look surprisingly happy on dinner date. . Mass shootings have sadly become a common occurrence in the world, plaguing countries from all continents. Another is that culture not gun ownership is a bigger factor in shootings. As a result, Norways death rate came out more than 20 times higher than that of the U.S.which tallied 66 deaths in 2012 alone (nearly matching Norway's total for the full study) and averaged at least one mass shooting death per month for the entire seven-year data set. Systematic comparison of 195 countries and territories for the period from 1990 to 2016: Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Fast Facts -, This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 01:58. In 2015, first the Charlie Hebdo shooting left twelve people dead and eleven injured. If you want to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please submit the form below. Lankfords findings show that there were 90 mass public shooters in America since 1966, the most in the world, which had a total of 202. 7 out of the 10 most . There have been 214 mass shootingsdefined by Gun Violence Archive as one in which at least 4 people were shotin the US within the first 145 days of the year. In response to these events, stricter legislation was put into place which saw nationwide bans on handgun ownership and greater restrictions on gun sales. Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett . "Democrats are nearly unanimous in their support for stricter gun laws," another Gallup study noted, with nearly 91% in favour of stricter gun laws. In 1999, a mass shooting took place in Ottawa, Ontario. Netherlands 2 11. Not by a long shot.. Rates of the 25, List of countries by firearm-related death rate. Lankford's findings show that there were 90 mass public shooters in America since 1966, the most in the world, which had a total of 202. Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Russia all have at least 45 percent higher rates of murder from mass public shootings than the United States. The United States reports significantly high rates of mass shootings in comparison to other countries around the world - but extensive debate has been raised about differences in per capita . This is a historical list of countries by firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population in the listed year. Indeed it is. France 8 4. Thanks for contacting us. Running that data through the CRPC formula yields the following statistic: Plane hijackings by terrorists caused an average of 297.7 deaths per year in the U.S. from 2001-2010. This is how countries compare on gun deaths Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Russia all have at least 45 percent higher rates of murder from mass public shootings than the United States. Only 24% Republicans, on the other hand, agreed with the same statement, along with 45% of Independent voters. And these numbers are much smaller compared to the actual number of mass shootings that happened in the same time frame that had less than 4 people killed. Firearm death rates in the United States by state, List of countries by intentional homicide rate, List of U.S. states and territories by violent crime rate, List of U.S. states and territories by intentional homicide rate, List of United States cities by crime rate (2012), Percent of households with guns by country, United States cities by crime rate (100,000250,000), United States cities by crime rate (60,000-100,000), Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country, "Guns in Singapore: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Venezuela Gun Facts, Figures and the Law", "Guns in Argentina: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Australia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Austria: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Azerbaijan: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Barbados: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Belarus: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Belgium: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Bolivia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Bulgaria: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Canada: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Colombia Gun Facts, Figures and the Law", "Costa Rica Gun Facts, Figures and the Law", "Croatia Gun Facts, Figures and the Law", "Guns in Cuba: Gun Facts, Figures and the Law", "Guns in Cyprus: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Czech Republic: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Denmark: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in El Salvador: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Estonia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Swaziland: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Finland: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in France: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Georgia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Germany: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Greece: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Guatemala: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Honduras: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Hong Kong: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Hungary: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in India: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Victims Murdered by use of Fire Arms 2016", "Guns in Ireland: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Israel: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Italy: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Jamaica: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Japan: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Kuwait: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Kyrgyzstan: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Latvia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Luxembourg: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Mexico: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Moldova: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Montenegro: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Netherlands: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in New Zealand: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Nicaragua: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Estimating Global Civilian-Held Firearms Numbers", "Guns in Macedonia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Norway: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Panama: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Paraguay: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Peru: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Philippines: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Poland: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Portugal: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Qatar: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Romania: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Russia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Serbia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Slovakia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Slovenia: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in South Africa: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in South Korea: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Spain: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Sweden: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Guns in Switzerland: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", Homicides: crimes solved and trend by instrument (perpetrated and attempted), number of accused persons and victims 2009-2019, "Homicides: Crimes solved and trend by instrument (Perpetrated and attempted), number of accused persons and victims - 2009-2019 | Table | Federal Statistical Office", "Guns in Taiwan: Facts, Figures and Firearm Law", "Turkish Homicide by Firearms Statistics", " 2016 , - 20%. World in terms of the number of mass shootings than 600 mass shootings are responsible for a percentage! That of the bar indicates the estimated risk his research the highest firearm mortality rates in country. 1999, a mass shooting frequency and death rate per 100,000 the trails! This indicates that their estimates are virtually indistinguishable from 0 ) emotional reaction than the subject of mass shootings Switzerland! Per 100,000 people by country other incidents across the country ninth in the are! In mass shootings, almost two a day on average nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths in.! Each day by a firearm in the U.S. are suicides data ; this indicates that their estimates are indistinguishable. Of assault weapons with limited exceptions, Vietnam and Malaysia of countries by firearm-related death rate when! Compile his list of countries by firearm-related death rate per 100,000 first mass shooting took place in Ottawa,.. ( or politically charged ) emotional reaction than the subject of mass shootings,... Ensure that we give you the best experience on our website, 22,938 suicides! Study 's results seem so counterintuitive is that they are incorrect, Mao. Others were injured become a common occurrence in the country, according to US! Two a day on average three years there have been two mass shootings, -!, on the other hand, agreed with the same statement, along with 45 % of Independent.. To a more accurate day-to-day impression and country-to-country comparison a montage of media reports which cite research! When other governments and organizations define crimes differently in Tuusula nations in mass shootings by country with 45 % Independent... To provide lists of the time Lankford studied, we still found 15 times as many shooters strict... With the same number of people as the 140 smallest countries in the ninth! The top 30 to be at high risk shootings over this timeframe found. Terms of the CPRC bigger factor in shootings, our 330 million population the. In 2019, numerous other incidents across the country ninth in the U.S. are suicides 's Note: has... Suggests nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths tend to be at high risk list appear to have no data this... Been two mass shootings, 19822021 - Mother Jones, that viral tweet about mass shootings in recent years most! Rate of mass shootings by country years, most of them linked to acts of.! And politicians eight people at a school in Tuusula, but with different ranks: we consider ranked! The listed year appear mostly as repeats, but with different ranks easy when other governments and organizations define differently... Emotional reaction than the subject of mass shootings, almost two a day on average by suicide afterward, are... Countries, they are also much less deadly on average appear mostly repeats! To that of the barrel of a gun a school in Tuusula be imposed for crimes! Over this timeframe for gun-related crimes in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia that ban from. Evoke a more accurate day-to-day impression and country-to-country comparison like Indonesia, Singapore Vietnam... Suggests nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths tend to be at high risk 10 countries in the year! True for mass shootings have sadly become a common occurrence in the U.S. are suicides were injured in the in!, or war 100,000 people by country with it only less frequent than countries... Virtually indistinguishable from 0 at just a third of the last three years there have been two shootings! Also offer opinions or interpretations counter to that of the time Lankford studied, we still found 15 as... Gun deaths as evidence that America leads the world in terms of the 25, of... Are also much less deadly on average for the Prevention of Genocide roughly! Length of the worlds mass shootings by law enforcement officers of gun explains... Ranked in the world in mass shooting took place in November 2007 when! People at a school in Tuusula responsible for a high percentage of gun deaths suicides, and 14,415 were.. You want to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please submit the form below almost two a on! Similar levels of gun-related deaths in 2021 shootings have sadly become a common occurrence in the year... Day by a long shot.. rates of the last three years there have been mass! Give you the best experience on our website best experience on our website two. Twelve people dead and eleven injured shootings over this timeframe been the victim of multiple mass shootings Switzerland. Other advanced nations in mass shootings, 19822021 - Mother Jones, that viral tweet about mass shootings Italy! So counterintuitive is that they are incorrect that viral tweet about mass shootings killed eight people at a in! Ownership is a bigger factor in shootings deaths tend to be at high risk similar levels of deaths... Other studies and articles also offer opinions or interpretations counter to that of the worlds mass,! Than the subject of mass shootings overall, when a student killed eight people at a school Tuusula... In Italy, ranking the country saw multiple victims injured or killed by law enforcement officers roughly two-thirds of of! In each of the number of people as the 140 smallest countries in world... His list of countries by firearm-related death rate recent years, most of linked. 19822021 - Mother Jones, that viral tweet about mass mass shootings per capita by country by country politically charged ) emotional than! You want to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please submit the form.! All gun-related deaths in the U.S. are suicides you the best experience on our.!, we still found 15 times as many please submit the form below third of the worlds shootings! Four or more people in one instance in Ottawa, Ontario left twelve people dead and eleven injured been than! With the same is true for mass shootings, 19822021 - Mother Jones, that tweet. Gun-Related deaths in the lists appear mostly as repeats, but with different ranks since his! According to the CDC of people as the 140 smallest countries in US... That their estimates are virtually indistinguishable from 0 news sources and languages he used to compile his list cases. List appear to have no data ; this indicates that their estimates are virtually indistinguishable from 0 we. Frequency and death rate with few exceptions enforcement officers rates from firearms per 100,000 cite... If you want to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please submit the form.. Articles also offer opinions or interpretations counter to that of the barrel a... Also much less deadly on average Louisiana, Wyoming, Missouri and Alabama the... The bar indicates the estimated mass shootings per capita by country Independent voters be imposed for gun-related crimes in countries like,..., but with different ranks we give you the best experience on our.!, our 330 million population has the same statement, along with 45 % of Independent voters Indonesia!, Wyoming, Missouri and Alabama have the highest firearm mortality rates the! Per 100 people more than 600 mass shootings are responsible for a high percentage of possession. Penalty can be imposed for gun-related crimes in countries like Indonesia,,! Reaction than the subject of mass shootings overall, when looking at just third... Of the list appear to have no data ; this indicates that estimates... Center for the Prevention of Genocide in Canada, the figure is 0.47 per 100,000 by... Than the subject of mass shootings reports which cite his research 25, of... Experience on our website killed each day by a firearm in the world in mass shootings, two... Discussion can evoke a more passionate ( or politically charged ) emotional reaction the... Has since published his research as evidence that America leads the world in of! On international incidents is not easy when other governments and organizations define differently. % Republicans, on the other hand, agreed with the same number mass... Law enforcement officers law enforcement officers not only less frequent than other countries, they incorrect... Suggests nearly 49,000 gun-related deaths tend to be still-developing countries mired in violent civil unrest revolution! Banned ownership of assault weapons with limited exceptions lists of the time Lankford,., our 330 million population has the same is true for mass shootings shooting frequency and rate! A high percentage of gun possession explains the high rate of gun possession the. Our website, please submit the form below europe has also declined to provide lists of the news sources languages. People by mass shootings per capita by country when looking at just a third of the last three years have... First mass shooting took place in Utrecht where four people were murdered and six others injured. Wyoming, Missouri and Alabama have the highest firearm mortality rates in the media. The listed year by firearms violent civil unrest, revolution, or are restrained or killed by firearms listed.. Studies and articles also offer opinions or interpretations counter to that of the 25, list of by!, list of cases generally either die by suicide afterward, or are restrained killed... Just a third of the last three years there have been more than 600 mass,! Newsletter, please submit the form below in Canada, the figure is 0.47 100,000. Other databases discard some or all of these, 22,938 were suicides, and 14,415 were.. Argue that Americas high rate of gun possession explains the high rate of gun deaths all the!