CLAIM:
Mass shootings haunt our nation’s collective conscience. Each breaking-news alert floods the nation with grief, fear, and anger at the countless acts of preventable violence happening in schools, churches, parks, supermarkets, and other places where people are going about their everyday lives.
Mass Shooting Incidents per Year: 686
Since 2015, over 19,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in a mass shooting. In 2022 alone, over 600 people were killed, with over 2,700 wounded.
- We now define a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot and wounded or killed, excluding the shooter.
- Proven Solution: Close Background-Check Loopholes.
- Closing loopholes in federal and state background-check laws can prevent guns from ending up in the hands of those who are legally prohibited from having a firearm.
- Mass shooters often displayed warning signs.
- Proven Solution: Extreme Risk Laws
- Assault weapons make mass shootings exceptionally deadly.
- Over twice as many people are killed when mass shootings involve an assault weapon.
- More than twice as many people are killed when mass shootings involve a high-capacity magazine.
- Proven Solution: Limit Access to Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines.
- Hate motivated many of the deadliest mass shootings.
- Proven Solution: Pass the Disarm Hate Act.
- Assault weapons were used in most of the 10 deadliest mass shootings.
- Most of the deadliest mass shootings involved a high-capacity magazine.
- Mass shooters do not target places that limit gun carrying.
REBUTTAL:
Everytown for Gun Safety’s Mass Shootings in the United States report contains misleading definitions, selective data usage, and faulty policy recommendations. This document critically examines their claims, exposes inconsistencies, and provides fact-based counterarguments.
1. Inflated Definition of Mass Shootings
Misleading Claim:
Everytown defines a mass shooting as “any incident in which four or more people are shot and wounded or killed, excluding the shooter.”
Rebuttal:
- This definition dramatically inflates the number of mass shootings by including gang violence, domestic disputes, and self-defense incidents.
- The FBI and Congressional Research Service define mass shootings as events where four or more people are killed, not just shot.
- Everytown’s approach results in figures far higher than the 20 to 30 mass shootings per year reported by law enforcement.
Correct Data:
- FBI Active Shooter Incidents (2022): 30 total mass shooting incidents.
- Congressional Research Service Report (2023): Annual mass shooting count remains steady between 20-30.
- Statista (2022): Mass shootings account for only 0.2% of total gun-related deaths.
2. Misrepresentation of Gun Violence in Minority Communities
Misleading Claim:
Everytown states that “structural racism and underinvestment contribute to a disproportionate number of mass shootings in communities of color.”
Rebuttal:
- The majority of mass shootings in urban areas are gang-related—not indiscriminate acts of violence.
- DOJ’s National Gang Report shows that 80% of urban shootings involve gang members, not law-abiding gun owners.
- Blaming “structural racism” diverts attention from the real causes: gang activity, repeat offenders, and illegal gun trafficking.
Correct Data:
- Over 50% of U.S. homicides occur in just 2% of counties—mostly in cities with strict gun laws. (FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2022)
- 77% of criminals who used guns in crimes obtained them illegally. (DOJ, 2019)
3. The False Promise of Background Checks
Misleading Claim:
“Universal background checks are a proven solution to reducing gun violence.”
Rebuttal:
- Background checks did not stop the Buffalo, Uvalde, Parkland, or Virginia Tech shooters—all passed background checks.
- California has universal background checks yet has some of the highest mass shooting rates in the country.
- The DOJ found that criminals obtain guns illegally in 77% of cases.
Correct Data:
- RAND Corporation (2022): No conclusive evidence that universal background checks reduce mass shootings.
- CDC Firearm Mortality Data (2021): No correlation between background checks and homicide rates.
4. Assault Weapons: Misleading and Misrepresented
Misleading Claim:
“Assault weapons make mass shootings exceptionally deadly.”
Rebuttal:
- More people are killed each year with knives and blunt objects than with rifles, including so-called “assault weapons.” (FBI, 2022)
- The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban had no measurable effect on reducing mass shootings (DOJ study).
- Handguns, not rifles, are used in over 85% of mass shootings. (FBI data)
Correct Data:
- Rifles account for less than 3% of gun-related homicides annually. (FBI, 2022)
- More people are killed with fists and feet than AR-15s. (FBI, 2021)
- Virginia Tech—deadliest school shooting—was carried out with handguns, not rifles.
5. The Myth of Gun-Free Zones Being Safe
Misleading Claim:
“Mass shooters do not target places where guns are prohibited.”
Rebuttal:
- 94% of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones. (Crime Prevention Research Center, 2023)
- Mass shooters actively seek out locations where victims are unarmed, such as schools and malls.
- In contrast, armed citizens have successfully stopped multiple mass shootings, including the 2022 Indiana mall shooting where an armed bystander neutralized the shooter in under 15 seconds.
Correct Data:
- FBI: Active Shooter Incidents (2022): 94% of mass shootings occur in locations prohibiting firearms.
- Crime Prevention Research Center (2023): Armed citizens stop active shooters 34% of the time when they are present.
Final Takeaways
Everytown for Gun Safety Misleads By:
❌ Inflating mass shooting numbers with a misleading definition.
❌ Ignoring gang-related violence as the true driver of urban gun crime.
❌ Falsely claiming background checks and assault weapons bans reduce mass shootings.
❌ Ignoring the fact that mass shooters target gun-free zones.
What Actually Works?
✅ Strict enforcement of existing gun laws.
✅ Targeted policing in high-crime areas.
✅ Prosecution of repeat violent offenders.
✅ Encouraging armed self-defense as a deterrent against mass shootings.