ORLANDO, Fla. – Once again, America is divided.
In a country with a growing number of mass shootings, gun violence is a topic that has frequently entered conversations.
Recommended Videos
Just this year, Florida has accounted for 27 shootings out of 446 in the U.S., according to Gun Violence Archive.
Digging deeper into the divide of gun control, Americans can’t even settle on what really defines a mass shooting.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
With multiple definitions of the term, different criteria is required to consider a shooting mass.
So let’s break it down. What defines a mass shooting?
What makes a shooting “mass?”
Numerous organizations define mass shootings in different ways. The majority rules that a shooting is considered mass when at least four people are killed — excluding the shooter — in an unisolated, public setting within one event, but some have made certain exceptions to broaden the definition.
Federal Bureau of Investigation: The FBI states that “mass murder” occurs when four or more victims are murdered at the same time and place. This definition excludes cases where family members are killed by suspects unless it is accompanied by the killing of a large number of the public. If the killing were to take place in two different locations by the same suspect, the number of deaths would be counted separately.
U.S. Congress: According to H.R. 2076 - Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012, a mass killing is defined by the death of three or more people in a single public incident. A mass shooting increases the required number of deaths. The Congressional Research Service states that four or more victims must die by firearm at the same place and time in a public setting.
Associated Press: AP’s website says that researchers most commonly use the definition of a mass shooting where four or more people must be killed in a public place, within a 24-hour period. This excludes domestic violence, in-home shootings and gang-related violence.
Gun Violence Archive: GVA’s methodology for tracking mass shootings does not require death for an incident to be mass. Whether a victim is injured or killed, at least four victims must be shot to meet the minimum requirements.
U.S. Department of Justice: The Office for Victims of Crimes breaks down mass violence to the psychological level, stating that the incident must be intentional and cause physical, emotional or psychological harm to a large group of people.
How does this change mass shooting data?
The recorded number of mass shootings shrinks vastly as the definitions change.
Following the definition that four people must be killed for a shooting to be mass, only one of Florida’s 27 mass shootings in 2024 so far would actually be considered mass.
In Hudson, on June 12, a family of four was shot and killed by a 25-year-old man at their home during an argument.
Three shootings across Palm Bay and Lawty fell just short of the requirements with only three deaths.
The FBI, Associated Press and Congress’ definitions of a mass shooting exclude Florida’s most harmful shooting in 2024 that left 10 people injured with zero deaths.
On April 28, a 16-year-old suspect shot into a crowd, which included Houston Texans NFL wide receiver Tank Dell, at a pool party at Cabana Live, a nightclub in Sanford.
Central Florida’s most recent shooting that killed two and left eight injured in Downtown Orlando on Halloween night, also did not make the cut.
Beyond Florida, the June 2 shooting in Akron, Ohio would not be considered a mass shooting by the Associated Press, FBI or Congress despite the reported 28 injuries because it only resulted in one death. This shooting accounts for the highest number of injuries caused by a shooting this year, according to Gun Violence Archive.
Under the Associated Press and the FBI, only about 5% of the national mass shootings listed on the 2024 Gun Violence Archive actually meet the criteria of a mass shooting where four people must be killed.
Four hundred and twenty-three of America’s 446 large-scale shootings would be discredited by the various definitions.
Has the number of mass shootings grown?
While the topic of gun violence may seem more prominent now than ever, GVA’s mass shooting database actually shows that the number has been fairly consistent in Florida over the years, averaging at about 28 per year.
2019 was Florida’s outlier when the state experienced a steep drop in mass shootings. Out of the 15 mass shootings in Florida, zero occurred in Central Florida.
This year, Florida ranks among the top five states with the highest number of recorded mass shootings, according to GVA, alongside Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and Alabama.
Between 2020 and 2023, Gun Violence Archive has recorded over 600 mass shootings in the U.S. each year. This year, the national number is still under 500.
In the last decade, Florida has accounted for 278 mass shootings.
According to the Gun Violence Archive’s definition, 30 people have died from mass shootings in the state of Florida this year.
Breaking that down further to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s level, four people have died from mass shootings in Florida this year.
So far this year, 3% of national deaths were involved in mass shootings, according to Gun Violence Archive.
Twelve of Florida’s mass shootings occurred in neighborhoods and hotels while 15 occurred in shopping centers, restaurants and public spaces.
Despite ranking among the top three states with the highest number of fatal school shootings in the last six decades, Gun Violence Archive has yet to report a mass shooting at a school this year.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: