Presenter(s)

    Jacob Veczko

    Comments

    9:00-10:15, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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    Description

    Mass shootings in the United States have become increasingly frequent and severe, raising urgent debates about gun control policies. The type of weapon used in mass shootings plays a big factor in the number of fatalities. Research has shown that there is a higher number of casualties when the weapon has a higher firepower and faster fire rate. This would indicate that the assault rifle would be the most harmful, despite the claim that all firearms are equally harmful and changing gun control policy would not impact the number of fatalities. This study will examine the connection between the type of weapon used and the number of fatalities that have occurred between the years of 1980 and 2018. It will determine if assault rifles and other higher-capacity firearms would be linked to more fatalities than handguns, shotguns, and rifles by using the CADMS (2018) dataset. Understanding these trends will allow us to take the proper legal responses to try to mitigate the overall damage caused. The research question in this study is: What types of weapons have been most commonly used in deadly mass shootings between 1980 and 2018, and how does weapon type correlate with the number of fatalities?

    Publication Date

    4-23-2025

    Project Designation

    Capstone Project

    Primary Advisor

    Mark A. Morgan

    Primary Advisor's Department

    Criminal Justice and Security Studies

    Keywords

    Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

    The Deadliest Weapons: Analyzing Firearm Type and Fatalities in U.S. Mass Shootings

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