Murder by Number: Examining Definitions and Measurement Issues Related to Mass Murder

• In Event: Measurement Issues

Abstract

There has been a groundswell of interest focused on mass murder by the media, policy makers, and academics following the mass shootings at Aurora, Colorado, and Newton, Connecticut, in 2012. An acrimonious debate about policy changes in two areas, further tightening of gun restrictions and enhancing mental health services, occurred in the U. S. Senate, and some similar proposals were passed at the state level. The absence of a significant body of empirical research on mass murder hinders the development of effective policy interventions, however. In part, the lack of prior research reflects shortcomings of available data, but the study of mass murder has been hampered by a conceptual morass, including the lack of a consistent definition. Different authors have proposed two, three, and four victims, as well as some proposing a number of injuries combined with two or three deaths, as potential thresholds for the definition of a mass murder. In this paper, we analyze SHR and NIBRS data to address the basic question of whether the number of victims used to define mass murder makes a difference and if missing data are a significant problem for researchers.

Authors

• Candace Campanero, University of Central Florida

• Mindy Weller, University of Central Florida

• Melissa J. Tetzlaff-Bemiller, University of Memphis

• Matthew Landon, University of Central Florida

• Lin Huff-Corzine, University of Central Florida