Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Oregon shootings: The map that shows all 264 mass shootings in America this year

A week has not passed this year so far without a mass shooting occurring somewhere in America

Doug Bolton
Friday 02 October 2015 16:10 BST
Comments
The second amendment to the US Constitution gives all Americans the right to own guns
The second amendment to the US Constitution gives all Americans the right to own guns (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A British mapping software company has illustrated the scale of America's gun problem - with a map that displays all 264 mass shootings that have occurred in America this year.

Mapping company Esri UK, using data from the Gun Violence Archive, plotted every incident where two or more people were shot in the USA this year.

The finished product shows the sheer scale of gun violence in America, a country where there has not been one week this year without a mass shooting taking place.

Each dot on the map signifies a shooting where two or more people were injured or killed. Clicking on the dots brings up information about the number of people involved, and where it took place, with the dots getting larger the more severe the incident was.

The latest shooting took place at Umpqua Community College in the state of Oregon, where nine people were killed and seven more wounded by a single gunman.

The shooter, named as Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, was later killed in a shootout with police.

America has one of the highest gun violence rates in the world, with a rate of 10.65 gun deaths per 100,000 people a year, compared to 0.26 in the UK.

In the aftermath of the shooting in Oregon, President Barack Obama gave an impassioned speech, in which he bemoaned the "routine" of gun massacres in the US.

He also criticised those who are against further gun control, a policy his administration has pushed for but has been unable to secure due to Republican opposition.

Speaking about them, he said: "What's become routine, of course, is the response of those who oppose any kind of common-sense gun legislation."

"Right now, I can imagine the press releases being cranked out. 'We need more guns,' they'll argue. 'Fewer gun-safety laws.' Does anybody really believe that?"

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in