Defining Mass Shootings

This chapter interrogates public understandings of mass shootings. First of all, gun violence statistics for the United States are compared with those in other developed countries. The varying definitions and trends of mass shooting are shown to be problematic in trying to gain an accurate understanding of the phenomenon. Discussed is the history of mass shootings in the United States from “going postal” attacks occurring in post offices and workplace massacres through to school shootings and mass shootings in public places. Possible reasons why the United States has the highest number of mass shootings are deliberated. Hofstede's often-quoted cultural model is used to discuss two national characteristics: high levels of individualism and low power distance between social groups. Other factors highlighted relate to Harding, Fox, and Mehta's model about influencers of school shootings, as well as notions of extreme masculinity which are often expressed via misogynistic behavior.

Risk Assessment of Mass Shootings

This chapter turns its focus to ways to assess the risk of mass shootings. Risk assessment is used for the prevention and initial identification of violence. The usefulness of risk assessment instruments in this process is debated. Also discussed is the viability of criminal profiling, looking at characteristics associated with a particular type of offender. To add to the discussion, the motives of previous mass shooters selected as case studies are detailed. This goes some way to showing that the varied motivations of perpetrators make it difficult to adequately assess the risk posed. The next chapter will illustrate that threat assessment is a more useful approach to determine whether an individual intends to perpetrate a mass shooting.

The Role of Leakage and Warning Behaviors

This chapter considers ways to detect mass shootings before they occur. It focuses on the role of leakage in prevention, whereby the communication of an intention to do harm can be used to assess the nature and viability of a mass shooting occurring. Eleven case studies of mass shootings are used to assess leakage and other warning signs displayed prior to these attacks. Documented are possible types of leakages, audiences for leakages, ways leakages were communicated, and other types of warning behaviors. Findings from interviews with threat assessment experts are also discussed in relation to the role leakage plays. It is hoped this chapter will go some way to informing risk and threat assessment procedures, which will be discussed in more detail in the subsequent chapters.

Framing Gun Violence

This chapter builds upon the discussion that began in the previous chapter about possible gun-related legislative options to reduce mass shootings. Discussed here are the framing approaches that could be utilized to mobilize the movement. Prior to that, there will be a discussion about the role of mass shootings in prompting debates about gun policies. The role that interest groups play in the process will be detailed. The chapter then moves on to discuss a number of frames centering on gun violence that could persuade people to support tighter gun regulations: an emotional approach predicated on the human interest side of the issue; a public health angle, treating it as an illness; a rights and responsibilities frame, where the right to own a gun is coupled with a responsibility to use it safely.

Threat Assessment of Mass Shootings

This chapter builds upon discussions in the previous ones about leakage of threats and other warning signs prior to mass shootings. The discussion here centers on assessing and managing threats in order to try to prevent mass shootings from occurring. The argument will be put forward that threat assessment allows for the seriousness of threats to be ascertained. This approach is two-fold in nature involving the assessment of the threat, as well as the individual who made the threat to determine whether they pose a danger to themselves or others. Moreover, it generally involves a follow-up plan for the threatening individual to be managed. Interviews with experts in this field provide advice relating to the process of carrying out threat assessment and management.

Gun Regulations to Reduce Harm Caused

This chapter marks the start of the final section of the book, which focuses on the landscape of gun policymaking in the United States. The intention of this chapter is to examine gun policy proposals believed to reduce incidences of mass shootings and gun violence as a whole. Gun violence prevention advocates provide policy suggestions and deliberate about their chances of gaining traction, considering estimated levels of public support and the current political climate. Discussed first of all are proposals centering on restricting the lethality of weapons (e.g., those focused on ammunition, large capacity magazines, and assault weapons). Policies centered on reducing firearm access to restricted persons are then discussed: extreme risk protection orders, safe storage laws, and universal background checks. Lastly, other miscellaneous proposals are deliberated: age restrictions, ghost guns, funding for research pertaining to guns, a licensing system for firearms, and smart gun technology.

Methodological Approach

This chapter continues to set the context of the book by describing the methodological approach adopted. The importance of framing in policy debates is highlighted, justifying why feature articles, letters to the editor, and videos were selected as the units for analyses. Described is the process undertaken to retrieve a news media sample from a number of sources. Detailed are the methodologies adopted to assess the news media sample: content analysis, critical discourse analysis, and visual discourse analysis. The qualitative research undertaken for this book is documented, outlining the methodological approach of interviews and the sample of interviewees chosen. The overall purpose of this chapter is to inform the reader about the methodologies, samples, and approaches utilized.

Policy Reform After a Mass Shooting

This chapter focuses on the case study of the Las Vegas mass shooting. Utilizing analyses of news media content and results from interviews with gun violence prevention (GVP) advocates, it explores the policy debates occurring after this shooting. Findings indicate that within the news media coverage the two main targets for policy change were bump stock devices and assault weapons. Bump stock devices had a direct link to the shooting and ended up banned; however, there are some issues with the way this measure was passed. There was also no traction on renewing the assault weapons ban. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the news media coverage was shown to adopt a defeatist tone indicating that no policy reform was expected to take place, citing a lack of action after previous incidents and the current political landscape as the reasons why nothing would happen.

Responding to a Mass Shooting

This chapter documents ways to respond to and recover from a mass shooting situation. Response is two-fold in nature: dealing with a scenario when it unfolds and reuniting the affected population with their families once the crisis has been resolved. The chapter then moves on to look at ways to recover from a mass shooting to repair the long-term damage caused. Recovery centers on dealing with the psychological impact on the affected community, physical damage caused, and the reputational damage on the organization. Another part of recovery is learning lessons from previous mass shootings. Captured throughout this chapter are the recommendations from emergency management experts, citing their knowledge and experience in dealing with active shooter incidents and other types of crises.

Creating a Climate of Fear

This chapter looks at the news media articles relating to the 2017 Las Vegas shooting incident. It is shown that this incident is categorized by death toll in media coverage. Mass shootings generally are portrayed as an “ongoing trend” and are “normalized” to the extent that it appears they will occur again in the future. The news media also debates whether the incident should be defined as terrorism, deliberating about the criteria needed for an attack to be viewed as a terrorist act. Moreover, a sense of fear is conveyed and then amplified in news media coverage through accounts from eyewitnesses, descriptions of the shooting, and visualizations of the attack. This ultimately creates a culture of fear, whereby the risk of becoming victimized by a mass shooting is disproportionate to the actual threat faced.