Study Links Assault Weapons to Higher Death Toll in U.S. Mass Shootings
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February 6, 2025 Hour: 7:59 am
A study examined 184 mass shootings in the United States from 1966 to 2023.
On Wednesday, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a research revealing that mass shootings involving assault weapons result in more deaths and injuries compared to attacks without such firearms.
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The research examined 184 public mass shootings in the United States from 1966 to 2023 and found that incidents where assault weapons were present led to an average of 0.72 more deaths per attack.
Handguns were the most common type of firearm used, appearing in about 79 percent of mass shootings. However, assault weapons were present in roughly 29 percent of the attacks, though only about 7 percent of shootings involved assault weapons exclusively.
Shooters using assault weapons tended to have more firearms experience. Only 11 percent of attackers who used assault weapons had no firearms experience, compared to nearly 30 percent of those who used other types of weapons.
The researchers noted that there may be opportunities to prevent mass shootings through various interventions. They cited previous research showing that potential mass shooters disclosed their plans in 47 percent of cases before carrying out attacks.
The study suggests that policies regulating firearm access, including age-based restrictions on assault weapons and secure storage requirements, could help prevent mass shootings.
The authors also emphasized the importance of extreme risk protection orders, which allow for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals who may pose a threat.
The study defines mass shootings as incidents where four or more people were killed in a public location, not including the shooter, and were not related to other criminal activity.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua
