Updated: 25 deadliest mass shootings in the United States (8/10/19)

[krispos42]

This discussion thread is pinned.

Last edited Sat Aug 10, 2019, 03:03 PM - Edit history (5)

Greetings all,

Had to update this damn thing again. I can't believe I had to add FIVE mass shootings since the last update on 2/10/18.

Still from the MoJo link. I've kept my original introduction below.

-Krispos42, Group Host

Hello everybody,

Those that are here regularly know that this list hasn't been updated in a while, but it sadly seems there are some new entries in the Top 25. It's been bothering me a bit that the list wasn't updated, but I've been hella busy the last couple of years with a lot of personal stuff going on. It's going well, but it's been busy.

Mother Jones has a database in convenient Excel format of these tragedies so I'm using that for the basis of this post. You can find the spreadsheet here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-full-data

The original point of the other post was to emphasize that ban on what are called "assault weapons" was not a solution to the problem; it's not a hardware issue unless you think you can either completely get rid of all guns, or limit gun technology to 1830.

And I'm sitting here in week three of the era of Cheeto Jesus and his enabling Republican House AND Senate, and I'm thinking how much I want to ask people that push hard on assault-weapon bans "Well, was it worth it? WAS IT?" And I'm sitting here waiting to add to the list as Mr. Cheetomaniac takes white-supremacist groups off the radar of federal law enforcement.

Anyway, I digress. Here are the 25 deadliest mass shooting in America, according to Mother Jones.

1. Las Vegas Strip massacre
2. Orlando nightclub massacre
3. Virginia Tech massacre
4. Newtown school shooting
5. Texas First Baptist Church massacre
6. Luby's massacre
7. El Paso Wal-Mart mass shooting
8. San Ysidro McDonald's massacre
9. Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
10. United States Postal Service shooting
11. San Bernardino mass shooting
12. Binghamton shootings
13. Fort Hood massacre
14. Columbine High School massacre
15. Virginia Beach municipal building shooting
16. Thousand Oaks nightclub shooting
17. Washington Navy Yard shooting
18. Aurora theater shooting
19. Tree of Life synagogue shooting
20. Santa Fe High School shooting
21. Red Lake massacre
22. GMAC massacre
23. Dayton entertainment district shooting
24. Umpqua Community College shooting
25. Charleston Church Shooting

Here are the weapons used. For the sake of consistency I'll use the definition of "Assault Weapon" from the now-expired 1993 Federal ban (in effect 1994-2004). Bear in mind that an "assault weapon", as defined, could be either a semi-automatic rifle, semi-automatic shotgun, or semi-automatic pistol. A fully-automatic firearm is defined legally as a "machine gun".

1. 23 guns, including numerous assault-weapon semi-automatic rifles (some of which had bump-fire stocks) and several semi-automatic handguns
2. semi-automatic assault-weapon rifle, semi-automatic pistol
3. two semi-automatic pistols
4. semi-automatic rifle, semi-automatic pistol
5. assault-weapon semi-automatic rifle
6. two semi-automatic pistols
7. semi-automatic rifle that may have been an assault weapon.
8. semi-automatic pistol, pump-action shotgun, semi-automatic rifle that may have been an assault weapon
9. semi-automatic rifle that may have been an assault weapon
10. three semi-automatic handguns
11. two semi-automatic rifles that may have (probably were) assault weapons, two semi-automatic pistols
12. two semi-automatic pistols
13. semi-automatic pistol
14. semi-automatic assault-weapon pistol, semi-automatic rifle, double-barreled shotgun, pump-action shotgun
15. two semi-automatic pistols, one with a silencer
16. semi-automatic pistol
17. pump-action shotgun, semi-automatic pistol
18. semi-automatic assault-weapon rifle, pump-action shotgun, two semi-automatic pistols
19. semi-automatic rifle that may have been an assault weapon, three semi-automatic pistols
20. pump-action shotgun, revolver
21. two semi-automatic pistols, pump-action shotgun
22. semi-automatic rifle, revolver
23. semi-automatic pistol (special note: AR-15 pistol)
24. four semi-automatic pistols, revolver
25. semi-automatic pistol


I've helpfully used bold text to identify known or potential "assault weapons" used in these 25 attacks. Of course, some states have tightened up the definition of "assault weapon", so obviously by some standards more of the guns here would be in bold.

I hope this can prove a useful tool for debaters in this Group. And I especially hope this list doesn't need updating. Ever.

-Krispos42, Group Host