Random charts - mass shootings

Source: U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center Report: Mass Attacks in Public Spaces 2018 (15-pg PDF)

Rinse and repeat - El Paso

April 2013's blog entry 'Anatomy of an Incident' listed the various stages that appear to routinely occur/play out after every mass shooting incident:

I. The Horror

II. The Coverage

III.  The Political Parade

IV. The Prohibition

V. The Search for a Hero

VI. The Search for a Reason

VII.  The Outpouring

VIII.  The Lionization

IX. The Debunking

X. Never Again!

XI. The Calls for Legislation

XII. Descent into Farce

XIII. The Fade-Out

XIV. The Next Horror

The recent outrages in El Paso and Dayton appear to be following the same well-worn 'script' although we have not yet reached the final stages (XII, XIII), as clearly demonstrated in the media and social media coverage:

Perhaps some day society will break out of this farcical cycle and things will actually change... This is devoutly to be hoped for!

Random charts - active shooters

 

 

Source: A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013 (29-pg FBI PDF) 

"Key Findings of the Phase II Study 

1. The 63 active shooters examined in this study did not appear to be uniform in any way such that they could be readily identified prior to attacking based on demographics alone. 

2. Active shooters take time to plan and prepare for the attack, with 77% of the subjects spending a week or longer planning their attack and 46% spending a week or longer actually preparing (procuring the means) for the attack. 

3. A majority of active shooters obtained their firearms legally, with only very small percentages obtaining a firearm illegally. 

4. The FBI could only verify that 25% of active shooters in the study had ever been diagnosed with a mental illness. Of those diagnosed, only three had been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. 

5. Active shooters were typically experiencing multiple stressors (an average of 3.6 separate stressors) in the year before they attacked. 

6. On average, each active shooter displayed 4 to 5 concerning behaviors over time that were observable to others around the shooter. The most frequently occurring concerning behaviors were related to the active shooter’s mental health, problematic interpersonal interactions, and leakage of violent intent. 

7. For active shooters under age 18, school peers and teachers were more likely to observe concerning behaviors than family members. For active shooters 18 years old and over, spouses/domestic partners were the most likely to observe concerning behaviors. 

8. When concerning behavior was observed by others, the most common response was to communicate directly to the active shooter (83%) or do nothing (54%). In 41% of the cases the concerning behavior was reported to law enforcement. Therefore, just because concerning behavior was recognized does not necessarily mean that it was reported to law enforcement. 

 9. In those cases where the active shooter’s primary grievance could be identified, the most common grievances were related to an adverse interpersonal or employment action against the shooter (49%). 10. In the majority of cases (64%) at least one of the victims was specifically targeted by the active shooter."

Random charts - Syria

 

 

Source: The Pentagon's $2.2 Billion Soviet Arms Pipeline Flooding Syria

Random charts - U.S. youth

 

Source: Dangers that teens and kids face: A look at the data

Random charts - AK-47

Source: Why has the AK-47 become the jihadi terrorist weapon of choice?