Poster #39 - Community Factor Influences on the Number of People Killed and Injured in Mass Shootings

• In Event: ASC Poster Session I

Abstract

Hundreds of mass shootings have plagued the United States for over half a century. However, compared to violent crime in general, mass shootings are rare in the US. Despite this, mass shootings have caused immense harm to the communities affected and increased fear for the people who live in these communities and across the country. The fear of all people across the country has increased because these attacks seem to happen at random and tend to vary in the total casualty count. Mass shootings have occurred in urban, suburban, and rural communities, and occurred in communities with various socioeconomic statuses.
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of community factors on the number of victims killed and injured during mass shooting incidents. We will use data from the Violence Prevention Project, a non-partisan and non-profit organization that collects data about mass shooting incidents in the United States with four or more victim fatalities. We will conduct negative bi-nomial regressions to test the effect of multiple community factors on the number of victims killed and injured during mass shooting incidents. Further results and implications will be presented.

Authors

• Alexandra Slemaker, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Melvin Alexander Vargas Melgar, University of Nevada, Las Vegas