Study: Mass Shooters Prefer “Gun-Free” Zones

The Heritage Foundation has released an analysis of U.S. mass shootings that shows mass shooters prefer “gun-free” zones.

Using Stanford University Libraries’ data on mass shootings, researchers identified 153 incidents since 2002 that included three or more victims shot or killed, not including the shooter. Filtering out gang- and drug-related shootings, as well as incidents where relatives or adversaries of the shooter were involved, left a total of 54 shooting incidents targeting random victims. 

Thirty-seven of those incidents occurred in gun-free zones (69 percent), while 17 occurred where lawful carry was allowed (31 percent). Five (29 percent) of the shootings in the latter group ended when the gunman was stopped or slowed by the intervention of a carry permit holder.

For those who claim there is no evidence mass shooters prefer gun-free zones, let’s put this in election year terms: Mass shooters prefer gun-free zones in a landslide.