Executive Director House of Ruth, Inc.
Mass shootings, killing four or more people at one time, occur in the United States about every two weeks, according to USA Today’s ongoing study, Behind the Bloodshed. Public shootings, like Newtown, account for about one in six mass killings according to the same study.
The study also demonstrates that most mass shootings (51%) are family killings. There is an undeniable link between mass shootings and domestic violence. A breakup is the trigger behind one in four mass killings, with 94% of suspects male.
Violence is about power and coercive control over others. It is not about mental illness, most people who have mental illnesses do not commit acts of violence. Violence is not something that is provoked by another person. Violent behavior is a choice, that may be accompanied by other factors, including substance abuse, childhood trauma and mental illness.
Mass shooters are also making a choice. And that choice is often preceded by another choice, typically an act of domestic violence. Most mass shooter’s behavior is not completely random; it is often directed at a familiar church, workplace, or school. It is most often perpetrated at home or the home of a loved one.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, at least 51% of mass shootings involve the perpetrator targeting and shooting a current of former intimate partner or family member.
Mass shootings are not a mystery, the mystery is why they don’t happen more often. Here is what you can do about it:
• Reach out to a local domestic violence organization and find out how you can volunteer.
• Learn the warning signs of domestic violence.
• Be a upstander, not a bystander.
• Bring a speaker to your classroom, your book club, your luncheon, your church.
• Talk about what you learn with your family and friends.
• Teach your children how to selfsoothe and to regulate their own emotions.
• Know the facts about domestic violence.
For more information about House of Ruth, Inc., call (909) 623-4364. The 24-hour toll free hotline is 877-988-5559.