US Mass Killings Reach Record Pace with Weekly Nightmares

The US is on track to set a record pace for mass killings in 2021, with 88 lives lost in 17 mass shootings over 111 days. The violence is sparked by a range of motives, including murder-suicides, domestic violence, gang retaliation, school shootings, and workplace vendettas. Despite the blaring headlines, mass killings are statistically rare, perpetrated by just a handful of people each year in a country of nearly 335 million. However, experts and advocates decry the proliferation of guns in the US in recent years, including record sales during the height of the pandemic, and call for immediate policy changes to address the issue.