(Business Insider)
Mass shootings are horrific, and society must do whatever it can to understand them to prevent them.
But crime data needs to be separated from the myths and the social, political, and moral narratives that often form around those acts, writes psychology professor Christopher J. Ferguson.
When 22 people were killed in El Paso, Texas, and nine more were killed in Dayton, Ohio, 12 hours later, responses to the tragedy included many of the same myths and stereotypes Americans have grown used to hearing after a mass shooting.
As part of my work as a psychology researcher, I study mass homicides, as well as society's reaction to them. A lot of bad information can follow such emotional events. Clear, data-based discussions of mass homicides can get lost among political narratives.
I'd like to clear up four common misconceptions about mass homicides and who commits them, based on the state of research. Read more