STUDY: Rate of mass shootings is much higher for places with fewer restrictions

[BoyGenius]

The Looser a State's Gun Laws, the More Mass Shootings It Has... https://www.wired.com/story/the-looser-a...gs-it-has/

Hawaii, for instance, hasnâ€t seen a mass shooting since 1999. Florida, on the other hand, has had six such incidents, defined by the US government as four or more people killed by a single individual, in the past three years alone.

Congress may not have passed any national gun laws in the aftermath of past mass shootings, individual state legislatures have. And as the disparity between states with weak gun laws and those with tough ones has widened, so too has the gap in mass shootings.

[T]errorist acts like those committed in El Paso and Dayton over the weekend are more likely to keep happening to people who live in places where itâ€s easy to buy, sell, and carry guns. The country is splitting into the gun law haves and the gun law have-nots.

Studying mass shootings, which make up only a tiny fraction of all gun deaths, has long been tricky, because of their historical rarity and a general dearth of data on guns or gun deaths. But one ironic effect of there being more mass shootings lately is scientists now have enough data to start to see trends emerging.

Whether you agree or disagree, I thought the Wired article was interesting, albeit flawed... e.g. rationalizing Chicago's gun violence (despite Illinois' strict gun laws) by citing 2017 report by the Chicago Mayorâ€s Office that claims most guns recovered in Chicago were purchased out-of-state. Maybe it's just BoyGenius... citing out-of-state gun purchases to explain Chicago's gun violence is at best, birdbrained.

[Hightop77]

Hawaii, for instance, hasnâ€t seen a mass shooting since 1999. Florida, on the other hand, has had six such incidents, defined by the US government as four or more people killed by a single individual, in the past three years alone.

The article is clearly spun and agenda driven.  Example: the statement above tells us absolutely nothing even though the writer apparently thinks he is making a key point.

Population
Hawaii -   1.4 million
Florida -  21 million

Also in terms of demographics, blacks, which commit 75% of all mass shootings, are less than 2% of the population in Hawaii.  In Florida blacks are over 16% of the population.

[cincydawg]

Hawaii has a MUCH lower population than does Florida or Texas.

Buying guns out of state is already illegal (unless you ship it in state to an FFL).

[TakeThePoints]

Aren't there restrictive laws against murder in all those states?

[3rdgensooner]

Also Hawaii has a bit of a unique feature. It's in the middle of the fricking ocean hundreds of miles from the coast. A little easier to control things. Also as noted demographics are markedly different. Very large Asian population, the least violent demographic.

[cincydawg]

Aren't there restrictive laws against murder in all those states?

I'm not sure, perhaps murder is completely legal in some states.

[BoyGenius]

Hawaii, for instance, hasnâ€t seen a mass shooting since 1999. Florida, on the other hand, has had six such incidents, defined by the US government as four or more people killed by a single individual, in the past three years alone.

The article is clearly spun and agenda driven.  Example: the statement above tells us absolutely nothing even though the writer apparently thinks he is making a key point.

Population
Hawaii -   1.4 million
Florida -  21 million

Also in terms of demographics, blacks, which commit 75% of all mass shootings, are less than 2% of the population in Hawaii.  In Florida blacks are over 16% of the population.

Yes, the article is propaganda and poor propaganda at that. I would also argue Hawaii's culture is relatively homogeneous when compared to Florida.