Category Archives: #DoSomething

51 Mass shootings since Dayton OH – in just 29 days!

By Roger Straw, September 2, 2019

Gun Crisis in America: 51 Shootings, 54 dead, 202 wounded in 29 days

Numbers don’t tell the tragic human stories of loss and pain, grief and healing — but they sure do tell the story of our national crisis.  Legislators – DO SOMETHING!

Here’s the shockingly long list of mass shootings since August 4 when a 24-year-old white man dressed in body armor shot and killed 9 and wounded 27 others in Dayton, Ohio.  (Mass Shootings Tracker lists all shootings where 4 or more people are SHOT (not just those where 4 or more are killed).  We don’t even hear about most of these stories…

date killed wounded city state
9/2/2019 2 2 Greensboro NC
9/1/2019 0 4 Rocky Mount NC
9/1/2019 0 4 Hartford CT
9/1/2019 0 4 Toledo OH
8/31/2019 0 7 Valley AL
8/31/2019 0 4 Baltimore MD
8/31/2019 1 4 Chicago (West Englewood) IL
8/31/2019 6 21 Odessa TX
8/31/2019 2 2 Philadelphia PA
8/31/2019 0 4 Moncks Corner SC
8/31/2019 0 4 Frederick MD
8/31/2019 1 3 Charlotte NC
8/30/2019 0 10 Mobile AL
8/30/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
8/29/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
8/26/2019 4 0 Pembroke Pines FL
8/25/2019 3 4 Hobbs NM
8/25/2019 1 3 Chicago (Chatham) IL
8/24/2019 1 3 Lynn MA
8/24/2019 0 7 Temple Hills MD
8/23/2019 0 4 Dublin GA
8/23/2019 1 3 St. Louis MO
8/23/2019 3 2 Houston TX
8/22/2019 0 4 Los Angeles CA
8/22/2019 2 2 Columbia SC
8/20/2019 0 4 Atlanta GA
8/18/2019 0 4 Kansas City MO
8/17/2019 0 4 Kansas City MO
8/17/2019 2 2 Newport News VA
8/17/2019 0 6 Houston TX
8/15/2019 2 3 Montgomery AL
8/15/2019 0 5 Philadelphia PA
8/14/2019 1 5 New Manchester WV
8/14/2019 0 6 Philadelphia PA
8/13/2019 2 3 Tacoma WA
8/13/2019 0 4 Greenwood MS
8/12/2019 3 1 Hickory NC
8/12/2019 2 2 Riverside CA
8/11/2019 0 6 Chicago (Garfield Park) IL
8/10/2019 0 4 Richmond VA
8/10/2019 0 4 San Francisco CA
8/9/2019 0 4 Houston TX
8/9/2019 0 4 Chicago (Marquette Park) IL
8/8/2019 2 3 Irvington NJ
8/7/2019 2 2 St. Louis MO
8/6/2019 4 0 Stone Mountain GA
8/6/2019 0 4 Detroit MI
8/6/2019 1 3 Suitland MD
8/5/2019 4 0 San Antonio TX
8/5/2019 0 4 Brooklyn NY
8/4/2019 0 4 Grenada Co. MS
TOTAL 54 202

Death Toll In TX Shooting Rampage Now At 7

By Bobby Allyn, NPR News, September 1, 201911:37 AM ET
Updated 9/1/19, at 12:04 p.m. ET

The death toll from a mass shooting in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa has risen from five to seven, according to Odessa Mayor David Turner.

The mayor said that at least 18 remain injured — including a 17-month-old girl — following the shooting rampage that began after Texas state troopers attempted to pull over a vehicle Saturday afternoon on a Texas interstate for failing to signal a left turn.

The toddler, Turner said, is still in the hospital recovering from injuries that are “not as bad as they thought,” saying, “we are very grateful the injuries weren’t worse.”

As the community searches for answers about what motivated the gunman, the focus needs to be on the families of victims, the mayor said in an interview with NPR.

“We covet everyone’s prayers for those who were injured and for those loved ones who were lost and for the community as a whole,” Turner said.

Authorities in Texas are scheduled to hold a briefing on the shooting at noon local time to provide additional details about the incident.

Police say the gunman, described as a man in his mid-30s, fled police and then stole a postal truck and began firing indiscriminately at people along the highway and streets around Midland and Odessa.

Three law enforcement officers were wounded in the attack, and Turner said all three are in “stable”condition and still hospitalized.

“Our law enforcement are in as good condition as can be expected. Physical injuries are there, but there are also emotional injuries. And so, we’ll have to watch them close,” Turner said.

Police shot and killed the shooter outside of a movie theater in the Odessa area. The gunman’s motive has not been revealed.

The communities jolted by the massacre are in need of support right now, according to the Odessa mayor.

“In West Texas, we’re known for being strong and independent,” Turner said. “It’s time for us to come together and love on those who need are love that have lost friends and family.”

Not just in Odessa TX – 6 mass shootings today!

10 dead, 38 wounded in 6 separate mass shootings, all on just this one day across the U.S.

By Roger Straw, August 31, 2019
Odessa PIO: Five dead, more than 20 injured in mass shooting
Odessa TX: Five dead, plus the shooter; more than 20 injured in mass shooting

The big one today was in the oil-rich Permian Basin of west Texas.  We learned that yet another young white guy massacred 5 innocents, wounded 21 others, and got himself killed in Odessa, Texas today.  [UPDATE 9/1/19 10am PT: Death Toll In West Texas Shooting Rampage Now At 7. “The death toll from a mass shooting in the West Texas cities of Midland and Odessa has risen from five to seven, according to Odessa Mayor David Turner.  The mayor said that at least 18 remain injured”  PBS.org

That one – the big one – made all the BREAKING NEWS segments on tv and the internet today.

But no one is reporting that this guy didn’t act alone.

Well, yes, he was most likely a “lone” shooter in Odessa.  But there were five other mass shooters out there on this Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Here’s the raw data from massshootingtracker.org :

date killed wounded city state
8/31/2019 1 4 Chicago (West Englewood) IL
8/31/2019 6 21 Odessa TX
8/31/2019 2 2 Philadelphia PA
8/31/2019 0 4 Moncks Corner SC
8/31/2019 0 4 Frederick MD
8/31/2019 1 3 Charlotte NC
1-DAY TOTAL 10 38 Across the U.S.

Even to our OWN ears, our calls for sensible gun legislation are sounding like a broken record.  I can hardly stand to call out #NEVERAGAIN, again!  What, another street protest?  Another vigil?  Another letter to Congress to DO SOMETHING!?

The echos are still ringing from Dayton, El Paso, and Gilroy just this summer.  And from Thousand Oaks, Pittsburgh, Santa Fe and Parkland last year.  It gets too many to list, but we can’t forget Las Vegas, Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora…  See a database of all the mass killings 1982-2019 on MotherJones.com.

The temptation is to NOT cry out again.  We feel as though it’s of no use.  Another few days and we’ll see the sentiment die down, and Congress can take no action.  Again.  Sigh….

Despair has a sister — apathy.

I hope YOU aren’t feeling as defeated as I am tonight.  I hope you will write to your congressional representative, to the newspaper, to the NRA.  This has GOT to stop!


Want a headache?  Here’s the entire troubling list of mass shootings in 2019, 340 mass shootings in just 243 days so far, totaling 401 killed and 1330 wounded.  (Mass Shootings Tracker lists all shootings where 4 or more people are SHOT (not just those where 4 or more are killed).

date killed wounded city state
8/31/2019 1 4 Chicago (West Englewood) IL
8/31/2019 6 21 Odessa TX
8/31/2019 2 2 Philadelphia PA
8/31/2019 0 4 Moncks Corner SC
8/31/2019 0 4 Frederick MD
8/31/2019 1 3 Charlotte NC
8/30/2019 0 10 Mobile AL
8/30/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
8/29/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
8/26/2019 4 0 Pembroke Pines FL
8/25/2019 3 4 Hobbs NM
8/25/2019 1 3 Chicago (Chatham) IL
8/24/2019 1 3 Lynn MA
8/24/2019 0 7 Temple Hills MD
8/23/2019 0 4 Dublin GA
8/23/2019 1 3 St. Louis MO
8/23/2019 3 2 Houston TX
8/22/2019 0 4 Los Angeles CA
8/22/2019 2 2 Columbia SC
8/20/2019 0 4 Atlanta GA
8/18/2019 0 4 Kansas City MO
8/17/2019 0 4 Kansas City MO
8/17/2019 2 2 Newport News VA
8/17/2019 0 6 Houston TX
8/15/2019 2 3 Montgomery AL
8/15/2019 0 5 Philadelphia PA
8/14/2019 1 5 New Manchester WV
8/14/2019 0 6 Philadelphia PA
8/13/2019 2 3 Tacoma WA
8/13/2019 0 4 Greenwood MS
8/12/2019 3 1 Hickory NC
8/12/2019 2 2 Riverside CA
8/11/2019 0 6 Chicago (Garfield Park) IL
8/10/2019 0 4 Richmond VA
8/10/2019 0 4 San Francisco CA
8/9/2019 0 4 Houston TX
8/9/2019 0 4 Chicago (Marquette Park) IL
8/8/2019 2 3 Irvington NJ
8/7/2019 2 2 St. Louis MO
8/6/2019 4 0 Stone Mountain GA
8/6/2019 0 4 Detroit MI
8/6/2019 1 3 Suitland MD
8/5/2019 4 0 San Antonio TX
8/5/2019 0 4 Brooklyn NY
8/4/2019 0 4 Grenada Co. MS
8/4/2019 10 27 Dayton OH
8/4/2019 1 3 Memphis TN
8/3/2019 1 7 Chicago (Lawndale) IL
8/3/2019 0 7 Chicago (Douglas Park) IL
8/3/2019 22 24 El Paso TX
8/2/2019 2 3 Suffolk VA
8/2/2019 3 1 Pomfret MD
7/31/2019 3 1 Elkhart IN
7/30/2019 3 1 Rosenberg TX
7/30/2019 0 5 Haskell OK
7/30/2019 2 2 Southaven MS
7/30/2019 0 5 Columbus OH
7/28/2019 0 4 Chicago (Lawndale) IL
7/28/2019 5 2 Lake Hallie WI
7/28/2019 1 5 Philadelphia PA
7/28/2019 4 12 Gilroy CA
7/28/2019 0 4 Washington DC
7/28/2019 0 4 Uniontown PA
7/27/2019 1 11 Brooklyn NY
7/27/2019 1 3 Wichita KS
7/26/2019 1 3 Kennewick WA
7/25/2019 3 1 Albemarle NC
7/25/2019 4 2 Los Angeles CA
7/23/2019 2 2 Pembroke Park FL
7/21/2019 0 4 Washington DC
7/21/2019 0 4 Chicago (Lawndale) IL
7/20/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
7/20/2019 0 7 Chicago IL
7/20/2019 0 4 Clairton PA
7/18/2019 1 3 Chicago (Garfield Park) IL
7/17/2019 1 3 Lubbock TX
7/16/2019 0 4 San Antonio TX
7/15/2019 2 2 Baltimore MD
7/15/2019 0 4 Atlanta GA
7/15/2019 1 3 New Orleans LA
7/14/2019 0 4 Chicago (Garfield Park) IL
7/13/2019 0 7 Philadelphia PA
7/13/2019 1 4 Chicago (Gresham) IL
7/11/2019 0 4 Houston TX
7/8/2019 2 2 Washington DC
7/7/2019 0 5 St. Louis MO
7/7/2019 0 6 Flint MI
7/7/2019 0 4 Wichita KS
7/7/2019 0 4 Chicago (Englewood) IL
7/7/2019 0 4 Albuquerque NM
7/7/2019 0 4 Chicago (Englewood) IL
7/6/2019 5 0 St. Louis Co. MO
7/6/2019 0 4 San Jose CA
7/6/2019 2 2 Saint Clair Shores MI
7/6/2019 0 4 Charlotte NC
7/5/2019 1 3 Reno NV
7/5/2019 0 6 Boston (Roxbury) MA
7/5/2019 4 0 Gravette AR
7/5/2019 0 5 Chicago (Woodlawn) IL
7/5/2019 0 4 Brooklyn NY
7/4/2019 1 3 Fresno CA
7/4/2019 0 4 Rockford IL
7/4/2019 0 4 Los Angeles CA
7/4/2019 1 3 Chicago (Humboldt Park) IL
7/3/2019 2 3 Cinco Ranch TX
7/2/2019 0 4 Washington Park IL
7/2/2019 0 4 Wellston MO
7/1/2019 0 4 Baltimore MD
6/30/2019 0 5 Yucaipa CA
6/30/2019 2 2 Dallas TX
6/30/2019 0 4 Oakland CA
6/30/2019 0 4 Chicago IL
6/30/2019 0 6 Bay Shore NY
6/29/2019 0 4 Houma LA
6/29/2019 0 4 Hartford CT
6/29/2019 0 7 Baton Rouge LA
6/29/2019 0 5 Chicago IL
6/28/2019 0 7 Atlanta GA
6/28/2019 1 3 Auburn WA
6/28/2019 0 5 St. Paul MN
6/28/2019 0 4 Paterson NJ
6/28/2019 0 6 Hamden CT
6/27/2019 0 7 Atlanta GA
6/26/2019 0 4 Milwaukee WI
6/26/2019 1 3 Akron OH
6/24/2019 2 2 Philadelphia PA
6/23/2019 5 0 San Jose CA
6/23/2019 0 5 Columbus OH
6/23/2019 1 3 La Jolla CA
6/23/2019 3 1 Abbeville SC
6/23/2019 1 10 South Bend IN
6/22/2019 0 4 Hampton VA
6/22/2019 0 4 South Philadelphia PA
6/22/2019 1 4 Baltimore MD
6/21/2019 5 0 Santa Maria CA
6/21/2019 1 3 Saginaw MI
6/21/2019 0 4 Richmond CA
6/21/2019 0 4 Chicago (Parkway Gardens) IL
6/20/2019 0 10 Allentown PA
6/18/2019 1 4 Newark NJ
6/18/2019 0 4 San Antonio TX
6/17/2019 0 5 Memphis TN
6/16/2019 1 5 Philadelphia PA
6/16/2019 0 6 Des Moines IA
6/16/2019 1 6 Louisville KY
6/15/2019 4 0 Des Moines IA
6/15/2019 0 4 Shreveport LA
6/14/2019 4 0 Wyalusing PA
6/12/2019 1 3 Charlotte NC
6/11/2019 2 2 Savannah GA
6/11/2019 0 4 Aurora CO
6/9/2019 1 3 Cleveland OH
6/9/2019 1 3 Henning TN
6/9/2019 0 4 Buffalo NY
6/8/2019 5 2 White Swan WA
6/8/2019 0 4 Chicago IL
6/7/2019 0 5 Austin TX
6/6/2019 1 3 Chicago IL
6/5/2019 0 4 Santa Rosa CA
6/2/2019 1 3 Dallas TX
6/1/2019 0 5 Atlanta GA
6/1/2019 0 5 Allendale SC
6/1/2019 1 3 Macon GA
6/1/2019 0 4 Chicago IL
6/1/2019 1 3 Portsmouth VA
6/1/2019 0 4 Chicago IL
5/31/2019 1 3 West Covina CA
5/31/2019 13 5 Virginia Beach VA
5/30/2019 0 5 Robbins IL
5/29/2019 1 3 Reserve LA
5/29/2019 3 2 Cleveland TX
5/27/2019 1 5 Trenton NJ
5/27/2019 2 2 St. Louis MO
5/27/2019 0 5 Washington DC
5/26/2019 1 3 Stockton CA
5/26/2019 0 5 La Crosse VA
5/26/2019 1 3 Fort Lauderdale FL
5/26/2019 1 3 Washington DC
5/26/2019 2 3 Chicago IL
5/25/2019 3 2 Detroit MI
5/25/2019 0 5 Oklahoma City OK
5/25/2019 1 9 Chesapeake VA
5/25/2019 0 4 Baltimore MD
5/25/2019 0 9 Trenton NJ
5/20/2019 0 4 Columbus OH
5/20/2019 2 2 Tulsa OK
5/20/2019 1 4 Alexandria LA
5/19/2019 0 5 Portland OR
5/18/2019 0 4 Omaha NE
5/18/2019 2 4 Winston-Salem NC
5/18/2019 1 4 Cascilla MS
5/18/2019 1 5 Long Beach CA
5/18/2019 2 2 Cedar Rapids IA
5/18/2019 1 8 Atmore AL
5/18/2019 1 6 Muncie IN
5/17/2019 1 3 Sacramento CA
5/16/2019 0 4 Cleveland OH
5/15/2019 0 4 Huber Heights OH
5/15/2019 2 2 Appleton WI
5/15/2019 0 4 Saint Rose LA
5/14/2019 0 4 Los Angeles CA
5/13/2019 4 1 St. Louis MO
5/13/2019 0 4  New Orleans LA
5/12/2019 0 4 Paulsboro NJ
5/11/2019 0 4 Effort PA
5/10/2019 0 6 St. Louis MO
5/10/2019 0 5 Philadelphia PA
5/8/2019 0 4 Indianapolis IN
5/7/2019 1 8 Highlands Ranch CO
5/5/2019 0 6 Oceano CA
5/5/2019 1 4 North Bergen NJ
5/4/2019 1 4 Stockton CA
5/4/2019 0 4 Indianapolis IN
5/4/2019 0 4 Wilmington DE
5/4/2019 1 4 St. Louis MO
5/3/2019 1 3 Dallas TX
5/3/2019 0 5 Baltimore MD
5/3/2019 0 4 Baltimore MD
5/1/2019 1 3 Boston MA
4/30/2019 2 2 Raymond KS
4/30/2019 2 4 Charlotte NC
4/28/2019 4 0 West Chester OH
4/28/2019 0 4 Birmingham AL
4/28/2019 0 6 Los Angeles CA
4/28/2019 1 7 Baltimore MD
4/28/2019 0 7 Nashville TN
4/27/2019 1 3 Jackson MS
4/27/2019 1 3 Jackson MI
4/27/2019 1 3 Poway CA
4/26/2019 0 4 Hugo OK
4/22/2019 4 0 Fort Worth TX
4/22/2019 2 2 Cleveland OH
4/21/2019 0 4 Philadelphia PA
4/21/2019 0 4 Los Angeles CA
4/20/2019 0 7 Memphis TN
4/20/2019 0 4 Corpus Christi TX
4/19/2019 0 4 Wichita KS
4/18/2019 0 4 Louisville KY
4/17/2019 3 1 London OH
4/16/2019 1 3 Germantown MD
4/14/2019 1 3 Vallejo CA
4/14/2019 0 4 Stockton CA
4/14/2019 2 2 Miami-Dade FL
4/14/2019 1 3 Upland CA
4/13/2019 0 4 Moreno Valley CA
4/12/2019 0 4 Carbondale IL
4/12/2019 3 2 Phoenix AZ
4/11/2019 1 3 Los Angeles CA
4/11/2019 1 3 Baltimore MD
4/9/2019 1 3 Kansas City MO
4/7/2019 0 6 Wilmington DE
4/7/2019 0 4 Shreveport LA
4/7/2019 0 7 Winston-Salem NC
4/7/2019 2 3 Indianapolis IN
4/6/2019 0 6 Chicago (Englewood) CO
4/6/2019 0 4 Tallahassee FL
4/4/2019 1 3 Panama City FL
4/4/2019 3 2 Stockbridge GA
4/2/2019 0 4 Hermanville MS
4/2/2019 0 5 Covington KY
3/31/2019 1 4 Atlanta GA
3/31/2019 0 7 North Charleston SC
3/31/2019 1 4 Chicago (East Garfield Park) IL
3/28/2019 0 4 Baltimore MD
3/25/2019 0 5 North Las Vegas NV
3/23/2019 0 7 Phoenix AZ
3/23/2019 1 5 San Francisdo CA
3/19/2019 0 4 Nashville TN
3/19/2019 2 4 Phoenix AZ
3/17/2019 1 3 Rochelle GA
3/17/2019 0 4 Augusta GA
3/17/2019 0 4 Las Vegas NV
3/16/2019 1 3 Camden NJ
3/15/2019 2 3 Mobile AL
3/14/2019 2 2 Missoula MT
3/13/2019 1 3 Harvey IL
3/11/2019 0 4 Paterson NJ
3/10/2019 0 4 Shreveport LA
3/10/2019 1 4 Denver CO
3/3/2019 0 4 Oakland CA
3/3/2019 0 6 Chicago (South Shore) IL
3/2/2019 1 4 Pine Bluff AR
2/28/2019 1 3 Oakland CA
2/28/2019 4 0 Joliet IL
2/22/2019 2 2 Birmingham AL
2/21/2019 2 2 Elizabethtown TN
2/21/2019 1 4 Baltimore MD
2/21/2019 2 2 Houston TX
2/20/2019 0 4 Covington TN
2/18/2019 4 0 Cedar Springs MI
2/17/2019 2 2 Henderson TX
2/17/2019 1 5 New Orleans LA
2/17/2019 0 5 Evansville IN
2/16/2019 4 1 Clinton MS
2/15/2019 3 1 Nevis MN
2/15/2019 6 6 Aurora IL
2/14/2019 2 2 Jacksonville FL
2/11/2019 5 0 Blanchard TX
2/9/2019 0 4 Petersburg VA
2/7/2019 1 3 Cleveland OH
2/6/2019 1 3 Brooklyn NY
2/4/2019 2 2 San Antonio TX
2/4/2019 0 4 Washington DC
2/4/2019 0 4 Baton Rouge LA
2/3/2019 4 0 Palm Springs CA
2/3/2019 2 5 Chicago (West Garfield) IL
2/2/2019 0 4 San Diego CA
2/2/2019 2 2 Grand Prairie TX
1/28/2019 2 4 Houston TX
1/27/2019 0 5 Birmingham AL
1/26/2019 1 3 Newark NJ
1/26/2019 5 0 Livingston Parish LA
1/26/2019 0 4 Albany GA
1/26/2019 0 5 Indianapolis IN
1/25/2019 1 4 Gaston NC
1/24/2019 4 1 Rockmart GA
1/24/2019 4 1 State College PA
1/23/2019 5 0 Sebring FL
1/20/2019 0 4 Miami FL
1/19/2019 3 2 Houston TX
1/19/2019 3 2 Jacksonville FL
1/19/2019 0 4 Lebanon PA
1/19/2019 0 4 Chicago (West Garfield) IL
1/19/2019 1 4 Gaffney SC
1/17/2019 3 1 Owensboro KY
1/16/2019 3 1 Palmdale CA
1/16/2019 1 5 Jacksonville FL
1/15/2019 1 4 Little Rock AR
1/14/2019 1 3 Odessa TX
1/13/2019 1 5 Phoenix AZ
1/6/2019 0 4 Roswell NM
1/6/2019 0 4 Fairfield CA
1/6/2019 2 2 Cache OK
1/4/2019 3 2 Hurt VA
1/4/2019 3 4 Torrance CA
1/4/2019 1 3 Houston TX
1/3/2019 1 3 Yuma AZ
1/2/2019 1 3 Jonesboro AR
1/1/2019 0 5 Tallahassee FL
1/1/2019 0 5 Columbia SC
Total of 340 mass shootings to date: 401 1330

How many dead? Database discrepancies…

By Roger Straw, August 6, 2019

Well, of course one death by the hand of a mass shooter is too many.

But the numbers are important, and how are we to know the facts when we read widely varying reports:

    1. “At least 60 people have died in the U.S. from mass shootings in 2019 alone”  – Vallejo Times-Herald on Aug. 6
    2. Prior to the El Paso shooting, “20 mass killings in the US in 2019 claimed 96 lives.”  – The Guardian on Aug 4
    3. “The Ohio mass shooting was the 293rd this year, accounting for 345 killed.”  – The Benicia Independent on Aug 4

Yes, one is too many, but what is the real story of America’s gun violence problem?  How to report with a sense of accuracy?  And how are readers to make sense of the wide discrepancies?

#1 – First, it is likely that the Aug 6 Vallejo Times-Herald headline (60 killed) is just an error.  I can find no other news article making that claim, and the headline is not referenced in the body of the two Associated Press news reports below the headline.

#2 – The Aug 4 Guardian article (96 killed) refers to “a database compiled by the Associated Press, Northeastern University and USA Today.”  The database only counts shootings where four or more people killed, not including the shooter.  Using this methodology, the shooting in Dayton was only “the 22nd mass killing in the US this year.  The first 20 mass killings in the US in 2019 claimed 96 lives.”

#3 – My own reporting here on the Benicia Independent relies on two very similar databases with shockingly higher numbers: MassShootingTracker.org and GunViolenceArchive.org.  Both of these track all shootings where 4 or more people are SHOT (not just those where 4 or more are killed).  The justification for this as stated by example on MassShootingTracker is convincing: “…in 2012 Travis Steed and others shot 18 people total. Miraculously, he only killed one. Under the incorrect definition used by the media and the FBI, that event would not be considered a mass shooting! Arguing that 18 people shot during one event is not a mass shooting is absurd.”  One difference between these two is that MassShootingTracker includes the death of the shooter, while GunViolenceArchive does not.  Thus, they give these numbers for 2019 as of today, Aug 6:

Database – Mass Shootings in 2019 Incidents Killed Wounded
MassShootingTracker.org 298 353 1162
GunViolenceArchive.org 253 275 1055

Only using the more detailed mass shootings data can we understand that in the 218 days of this year, the U.S. is experiencing more than one mass shooting every day.

This is a crisis.

Congress needs to act.  Now.