Role of Race in Mass Shooters
In order to understand what causes mass shootings and how we can prevent them, it is essential that we understand and analysis the people who commit these vicious attacks. Sadly, there are no specific traits of those who carry out mass shootings in the United States. The perpetrators of these attacks come from different backgrounds with different mental illnesses and criminal histories. However, by examining the several mass shootings that have occurred in the U.S. we can find some propensities of the shooters.
After the Las Vegas shooting, many media outlets noted similar characteristics within the profile of other mass shooters. For instance, Newsweek, published the story “White men have committed more mass shootings than any other group.” The article claimed that since 1982, white men have committed a significant majority of mass shootings. After multiple articles were published on the subject, it became evident that the role of race does play a significant role in who becomes a mass shooter. More specifically, caucasian men are more likely to be responsible for mass shootings.
There is no government agency that officially tracks the race and gender of mass shooters. However, Mother Jones, a liberal magazine, has created an online mass shooter database that actively tracks and records the race, gender, and mental health of mass shooters. Mother Jones defines mass shootings as a single incident in which three or more people are shot or killed. According to data compiled by the Mother Jones magazine mass shooters database, since 1982 white people almost exclusively white men commit 64% of the shootings. Black people committed about 16% of the mass shootings and Asians commit nearly 9%. People identified as either Latino, Native American commit 11% of mass shootings.
Caucasians make up about 63% of the U.S. population, blacks 13%, Latinos account for 17%, and Asians 5%, according to the latest census numbers. These statistics explain why white people are more likely to commit these attacks as there is a more significant number of white people than any other race in the U.S.
While no official government agency or political official has brought up these important statistics, it is evident that whites play a more significant role in mass shootings than any other race. White men specifically have committed the majority of mass shooting, more than the women of all combined races.
Role of Gender in Mass Shooters
Most shooter over the past 35 years have one thing in common and that is that they are all men. Much more than race, gender appears to have more of a correlation on whether or not someone becomes a killer. According to the Mother Jones database, only 2 women since 1982 have committed mass shootings. Additionally, a Crime and Law Enforcement statistic found that from 1982 to February of 2018, men have committed about 94 mass shootings while women have committed about 2 mass shootings. Making men responsible for approximately 90% of mass shootings.
According to criminologist James Alan Fox, women tend to see violence as a last resort while men use violence as an offensive weapon.Women are more likely to share their feelings and have stronger support systems. On the other hand, men tend to be more comfortable around firearms than women. For instance, men own guns at almost triple the rate of women in the U.S. Recent studies have shown that 62% of gun owners are men while 22% are women.
Many people believe that higher levels of testosterone lead to aggression, which would explain why males are more likely to commit mass murders. However, recent research indicates that testosterone is likely a result rather than a cause of violent behavior. The term hegemonic masculinity describes how our society and gender roles are created to ensure male power. Physiologist believe that a reason why men commit mass murder more than women is because in order to regain power in their lives and assert their hegemonic masculinity men will resort to violence and aggression.
Mass Shootings 