This Special Report from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) presents a synthesis of select findings from NIJ-supported research projects on public mass shootings, including school mass shootings, and identifies areas of need and interest for future research and recommendations.
Few events in American life shatter the public’s sense of well-being or shock the national conscience as much as someone repeatedly firing into a crowd. Scientific research supported by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) confirms the profound negative impact of public mass shootings on the average citizen’s sense of safety. For over two decades, NIJ has supported scientific studies that examine the public mass shooting problem from multiple angles. Since 2014, NIJ has invested in numerous research projects that study mass shootings and, specifically, public mass shootings. This effort to build basic knowledge and advance our understanding has resulted in more than 60 distinct research publications. This special report presents a synthesis of select findings from over 60 publications on 18 NIJ-supported research projects on public mass shootings, including school mass shootings, since 2014. It also identifies areas of need and interest for future research and recommendations.