Rampage Shootings at Schools, Nightclubs, Houses of Worship, and Other Public Places: Epidemic or Panic?

• In Event: Gun Violence: Inequalities and Injustices (Organized by the Division of Victimology)

Abstract

Based on its annual survey of journalists, the Associated Press placed mass killings twice in its list of the Top 10 news stories of 2018, with the Parkland school shooting as Number One and several others collectively as Number Four. The intense focus on rampage shootings is hardly new, as Americans have long and repeatedly been shocked and outraged over these senseless acts of carnage. The widespread fear that mass public shootings are on the rise and can victimize anyone at anytime, anywhere, and for any reason, has encouraged a number of policy proposals—some worthwhile yet others ill-advised. This presentation attempts to add some needed perspective to the epidemic thinking and assesses some of the solutions that have been advanced by politicians and the public alike.

Author

• James Alan Fox, Northeastern University