Unfortunately, we seem to be met with more deadly mass shootings yearly in North America. Since the onset of the twenty-first century, nearly 70% of the worst mass shootings in history have occurred. They’ve occurred at schools, concerts, nightclubs, public celebrations, and public squares.
The rise in mass shootings concerns all and only further supports the necessity of strong security measures. Weapon detection technology is one of the emerging trends in society. They help prevent mass shootings and other gun crimes across the country.
Here are some of the worst mass shootings in history.
1. Austin, Texas – August 1, 1966
An early example of the mass shootings that are now fairly common was the University of Texas tower shooting. A 25-year-old Marine veteran fired at members of the public from the Main Building tower for over an hour and a half, killing 15 people and injuring another 31 before two police officers killed him.
2. San Diego, California – July 18, 1984
At a McDonald’s restaurant, a 41-year-old man fatally shot 21 people and wounded another 19 over 77 minutes before being killed by a police sniper. To this day, this is the deadliest mass shooting in California when looking of fatalities.
3. Montreal, Quebec – December 6, 1989
Known as the Montreal massacre, or the Ecole Polytechnique massacre, a gunman murdered 14 women and injured another 10 in a shooting that targeted the women in a mechanical engineering class. The perpetrator took his own life before he could be arrested that day.
4. Killeen, Texas – October 16, 1991
At a cafeteria-style restaurant, a gunman drove his pickup truck through the front window and proceeded to shoot and kill 23 people and wounded 27 others. A brief shootout with police occurred before the perpetrator fatally shot himself. For over a decade, this was the worst mass shooting by a lone gunman in US history, eventually surpassed by the events of the Virginia Tech shooting.
5. Blacksburg, Virginia – April 16, 2007
Known as the Virginia Tech shooting, an undergraduate student using two semi-automatic guns killed 32 people and wounded 17 others. The shooting occurred across a dormitory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and State University classroom hall. After police stormed in, the gunman shot himself and died at the scene. This is the deadliest school shooting in American history.
6. Newton, Connecticut – December 14, 2012
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting involved a 20-year-old gunman who killed 20 children and six adult staff members. As first responders arrived on the scene, the gunman turned his weapon on himself and took his own life by suicide.
7. Orlando, Florida – June 12, 2016
A 29-year-old gunman opened fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and wounding another 53, after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. He was shot and killed by police officers after a three-hour standoff.
8. Las Vegas, Nevada – October 1, 2017
From the 32nd floor of a hotel room on the Las Vegas Strip, a 64-year-old man fired over 1,000 bullets during a country music festival, killing 60 people and wounding almost 900 people. The gunman would take his life an hour after committing the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
9. Sutherland Springs, Texas – November 5, 2017
At a First Baptist Church in Texas, in the worst mass shooting in a place of worship in United States history, a gunman killed 26 people, including an unborn child, and wounded 22 others before taking his own life.
10. Parkland, Florida – February 14, 2018
A 19-year-old opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, killing 17 people and injuring another 17. A former student at the school, the gunman fled the scene and was arrested without incident an hour later. Surpassing the Columbine High School massacre that took the lives of 15 people, the Parkland shooting is currently the deadliest high school shooting in United States history.
11. El Paso, Texas – August 3, 2019
At a Walmart retail store in El Paso, a 21-year-old gunman with white nationalist and anti-immigration ties opened fire on customers, specifically targeting Latinos, killing 23 people and injuring 23 others. He was arrested and charged with capital murder, with his case pending.
12. Nova Scotia, Canada – April 18-19, 2020
In 16 locations across Nova Scotia, a gunman killed 22 people and injured another three across a thirteen-hour window while impersonating a police officer. The perpetrator was shot and killed by police.
13. Uvalde, Texas – May 24, 2022
An 18-year-old fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School and injured another 17. The gunman was fatally shot by United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit members, who waited over an hour before breaching the classroom to engage the shooter. The wait to enter has been heavily criticized in analyses of the Uvalde mass shooting by academics, politicians, parents, and security professionals.
14. Monterey Park, California – January 21, 2023
A gunman killed 11 people and injured another nine at two Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California. The perpetrator was a 72-year-old man who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the next day during a standoff with police.
