The recent years have brought about much gun violence in America with mass shootings frequently dominating the nation's headlines.
Mass shootings such as the Orlando Nightclub and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings are closely associated with the issue of gun violence.
While there is no universal definition of a mass shooting, we use the definition "FOUR or more shot and/or killed in a single incident, at the same general time and location not including the shooter"
which is similar to the FBI's definition of a mass killing, which does not specify a weapon type.
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Using data on mass shootings kindly provided to us by the Gun Violence Archive,
a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing accurate public access to gun-related violence in the United States, we present an overview of some of the numbers surrounding mass shootings from 2013 to 2016.
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An Overview of Mass Shootings
The number of incidents of mass shootings have increased over the past 4 years from 2013 to 2016.
Click on the filters below to filter by the number of victims (Deaths + Injuries) or see Deaths and Injuries separately.
2013
2014
2015
2016
Click on a month to see where these shootings occur
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...But there is more to it than just Mass Shootings
Because of the sheer number of victims in a single incident, mass shootings have been heavily covered in the media.
However, the number of deaths by mass shootings only account for a small fraction of the total gun deaths in the United States.
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In 2015, 0Americans died from gun related injuries
Each
represents 100 deaths
Out of the 36,252 deaths caused by gun-violence, 334 of these deaths occured in a mass shooting.
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Over the past decade, from 2005 to 2015, the number of gun deaths has risen to become fairly similar to the number of deaths caused by car accidents.
In contrast, the number of Americans killed in terrorist incidents pale in comparison.
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Across other high-income countries, based on their Human Development Index score, the United States ranks the highest in number of gun deaths per 100,000 people.
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Can we identify a trend in the numbers?
We have seen that deaths due to gun violence has risen over the past decade from 2005 to 2015.
In order to gain a better understanding of the issue, we now look at how these deaths are distributed based on various factors over the years.
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The Past Decade
Based on causes of death data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
we present an interactive visualization for understanding how these deaths have been distributed over the years.
Click a filter on the left to find out more.
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Key Insights
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Understanding the Circumstances
Breaking down the data further can give us a more nuanced understanding of who the victims are and where these crimes are perperated.
In this visualization, we break down the data for 2015 into 1 or 2 variables which can reveal deeper insights into the circumstances and factors surrounding these tragic events.
Select up to 2 filters to explore the data.
Select up to two filters:
Note: Ethnicity (selected as the first filter) has been normalized against population size of each respective ethnic group based on US Census Data
Note: Each education attribute represents the highest education level a person has
Suggested Explorations
Select Age > Place then Select 0-12:
Most children aged 0-12 are killed by guns at home.
Select Ethnicity > Intent then Select Black or White:
Suicide accounts for the largest proportion of gun deaths among white people, while homicides make up the largest proportion of gun deaths for black people.
Select Age > Intent:
Suicide accounts for the largest proportion of gun deaths among the 40+ age group, while homicides make up the largest proportion of gun deaths among those aged 20-29.
Select Education > Intent:
Suicide accounts for the largest proportion of gun deaths among those holding some degrees, while homicides make up a larger proportion of gun deaths among those without one.
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What is the state of firearm regulations in the United States?
Laws exist to ensure general safety and to ensure that our rights as citizens are guarded against abuse by others. including ourselves.
Similarly, firearm laws exist to preserve both public and private safety in matters concerning the use of firearms.
While there are federal laws in place to regulate firearm activity, state and local police are not legally obligated to enforce these laws.
Many states implement their own firearm laws and as a result of this, the laws in each state vary considerably. Next, we explore the types of gun laws
present at the state level.
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An Overview of State Firearm Laws
Based on state firearm law data from the State Firearm Law Database by Boston University,
we present an interactive visualization showing
how drastically firearm laws vary across states, and what each law entails.
Click on each state to find out more.
Select a state and year to view its gun regulations
Click on a regulation to see its description
Regulations In Place:
Regulations Not In Place:
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What Can You Do To Make This Better?
We hope that this project has given you a glimpse of the state of gun violence in the United States.
How many of these deaths could have been prevented? There are many ways you can make a difference.
Let your voice be heard. If you feel strongly about this issue, contact your representative.
I will practice safe storage. I will keep my firearms and ammunition locked and separate.
I will support universal background check requirements. I will not sell or buy a firearm without a background check.
I will support the rights of my fellow citizens to be free from intimidation by the open display of firearms in public. I will avoid the unnecessary carrying of firearms in public, particularly in places where children are present.
I will support the rights of my fellow citizens to be free from intimidation by the open display of firearms in public. I will avoid the unnecessary carrying of firearms in public, particularly in places where children are present.
I will always make gun safety a priority in my home, in the field or on the range.
About this Project
This project was a final project for the University of Washington's Data Visualization course, CSE 442 by Professor Jeffrey Heer.