Who the Mass Murderers Aren’t

By Dan Zimmerman

By Dr. Robert B. Young

In “Who Are the Mass Murderers?” we reviewed the characteristics of mass murderers, insofar as there are any common ones. (Executive summary: they’re an infinitesimal, unpredictable fraction of the population). We need to keep the “infinitesimal” attribute in mind. According to a new Congressional Research Study, only 0.004 percent of all deaths, or 0.66 percent of murder victims, are the result of mass shootings. That’s less than two percent of all non-firearm murder victims. Overall, the odds against being killed in a mass shooting in the United States are roughly . . .

517,000 to 1. And let’s remember that statistics don’t account for shooting attempts interrupted by legal gun owners. In those, people are far less likely to be shot at all; and when they are, the numbers of victims don’t rise to the 4 casualties that define “mass shooting.”

It can also be useful to turn the question around: Who isn’t likely to be a shooter? It’s important to be clear on who are not likely murderers, mass or single, and indeed with any weapon, so as to avoid unfair restriction of civil rights. Licensed …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns