The US saw more mass killings in the first half of this year than any other six-month period over the last 17 years, horrifying data shows.
There were more than 28 mass killings between 1 January and 30 June, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Previously, the record for a six-month period was 27 – which was set in the second half of 2022.
The database defines a mass killing as an incident where four or more people are killed, not including the attacker, within a 24-hour period.
Although the mass killing does not need to include a gun to fit the definition, 99 per cent of the incidents in the first half of this year did involve a firearm. Only one did not.
Initially, the database declared 2022 as the deadliest year for mass shootings, and the second-deadliest year for mass killings. Though at the pace the US is seeing mass shootings and killings in 2023, that number could be broken this year.
Fourth of July weekend was already marked by a string of deadly mass shootings in Philadelphia, Forth Worth, Baltimore and more.
“We used to say there were two to three dozen a year,” James Alan Fox, a criminology professor at Northeastern University, told The Associated Press.
“The fact that there’s 28 in half a year is a staggering statistic,” Mr Fox added. He attributed the rising number of mass killings to the increased number of guns in the US and the rising population.
Though it may seem like mass shootings are a constant in the US they are relatively rare and only represent a small portion of gun violence incidents in the US.
Undoubtedly, most Americans and lawmakers believe something needs to be done to prevent and stop mass shootings and gun violence. But there have been contested debates over the correct method to do so.
Many Democrat lawmakers believe strengthening gun control laws and making it more difficult to access firearms would help.
Republican lawmakers disagree, believing the reason mass shootings occur is related to other factors like mental health, lacking safety precautions and the inability to return fire and take down a shooter.
