The Washington Post, May 2025
When it comes to crime statistics, bad news is big news. But to make sound policy, we need to hear good news, too, like the recent decline in mass shootings. As of May 10, there have been four shootings in the United States in which four or more victims died this year, compared with 11 at the same juncture last year. It’s the lowest incident count over thefirst four months of a year since at least 2006, when researchers started the Mass Killing Database, which is maintained by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
The drop builds on year over year data, which shows that mass shootings declined from 39 in 2023 to 30 in 2024. A similar pattern has emerged for mass shootings with fewer or no fatalities. According to the Gun Violence Archive, shootings with at least four victims killed or wounded declined from 659 in 2023 to 503 last year, a 24 percent drop. By May 10, the numbers plunged further, from 152 last year to 106 this year.
