On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that the United States experienced 61 “active shooter” incidents over the course of 2021, the highest annual total in over 20 years.
According to Reuters, the 61 incidents took place across 30 different states, and marked a 52 percent increase from the total of similar incidents in 2020. The 2021 total was also at least double the amount of shootings in each of the three prior years, and marks the highest annual total on record since the FBI first began keeping track of active shooter situations in 2000.
An “active shooter” situation is defined by the FBI as an incident where a suspect is engaged in the act of killing or attempting to kill people in a public location, in a seemingly random fashion. As such, most acts of gun violence – including gang- or drug-related gunfights, domestic disputes, hostage situations, or crossfire from other crimes – are not included in the “active shooter” category.
The 61 different incidents in 2021 left 103 people dead and 140 wounded. By contrast, 2020 saw 40 active shooter situations across 19 states that killed 38 people and left 126 people injured. The total number of incidents in 2020 had set its own record for the highest number of incidents on record until it was surpassed by 2021.
California saw the highest amount of active shooter incidents last year, with six, even despite the fact that California has some of the strictest anti-gun laws in the nation. Texas and Georgia were tied for second, with five incidents in each state. The deadliest active shooter incident in 2021 was in Boulder, Colorado, where a gunman opened fire at a Kings Soopers Grocery Store, killing 10. The second-deadliest incident was at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where 8 were killed and 7 were injured.
On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that the United States experienced 61 “active shooter” incidents over the course of 2021, the highest annual total in over 20 years.
According to Reuters, the 61 incidents took place across 30 different states, and marked a 52 percent increase from the total of similar incidents in 2020. The 2021 total was also at least double the amount of shootings in each of the three prior years, and marks the highest annual total on record since the FBI first began keeping track of active shooter situations in 2000.
An “active shooter” situation is defined by the FBI as an incident where a suspect is engaged in the act of killing or attempting to kill people in a public location, in a seemingly random fashion. As such, most acts of gun violence – including gang- or drug-related gunfights, domestic disputes, hostage situations, or crossfire from other crimes – are not included in the “active shooter” category.
The 61 different incidents in 2021 left 103 people dead and 140 wounded. By contrast, 2020 saw 40 active shooter situations across 19 states that killed 38 people and left 126 people injured. The total number of incidents in 2020 had set its own record for the highest number of incidents on record until it was surpassed by 2021.
California saw the highest amount of active shooter incidents last year, with six, even despite the fact that California has some of the strictest anti-gun laws in the nation. Texas and Georgia were tied for second, with five incidents in each state. The deadliest active shooter incident in 2021 was in Boulder, Colorado, where a gunman opened fire at a Kings Soopers Grocery Store, killing 10. The second-deadliest incident was at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where 8 were killed and 7 were injured.