Understanding Mass Shootings

Emily A. Greene-Colozzi, Assistant Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Jaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government, USAForeword by Robert Schentrup

• Contents1 Introduction to understanding mass shootings2 Definitions and context3 Commonalities among mass shooters4 Promising practices for prevention5 Response and recovery6 The collective impact of mass shootings7 Legislative responses to mass shootings8 Conclusion

‘Mass shootings are unfortunately one of the most urgent and unsettling issues facing society. They often lead to heated policy debates around gun control, mental illness, and other contested issues in American life. Even though there are a growing number of studies on this important issue, Understanding Mass Shootings by Greene-Colozzi and Schildkraut adds a lot to this literature. This book provides a clear and comprehensive examination of how these attacks emerge, and what can be done to prevent them. This important volume traces the historical evolution of mass shootings, explores how scholars define and categorize them, examines potential causes, and discusses the individuals who carry them out. It also unpacks the impact and consequences of mass shootings, discusses prevention strategies, and analyzes legal and other types of responses to mass shootings. Unlike many other works, it is careful to ground their arguments and claims in empirical data. This book will quickly become a “go to” volume to understand mass shootings. It could be assigned to undergraduate, MA, and PhD courses on mass shootings, terrorism, targeted violence, deviance, prevention and policy, and research methods. It should be an essential resource for scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and anyone seeking to understand one of the most complex forms of violence of our time.’