After the tragic Charleston shooting , President Obama said the following:

[Locutus]

But let’s be clear: At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency.
​

But is that true?


Since most statistics on mass shootings in the world compare apples and oranges by not correcting for population, let’s get a chart that makes sense, shall we?


Chart of Top 10 Nations in the World for Mass Shootings

Boom, here we go: The Rampage Shooting Index. Taken from a now-defunct website, it assembled data from around the world to construct a per capita mass shootings index that controls for population differences.

And since we’re just talking about members of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), we can assume these 34 countries are sufficiently “advanced” to enter into the discussion.

The bottom line: The United States falls from number one due to its frequency of 38 mass shootings from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013 (which would be number one without correcting for population) to number seven.

Security Magazine commented on the data findings:

Between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013,there were 413 fatalities from mass shootings in the 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). From the five-year period of 2008-2012, there were 373 total spree shooting fatalities.

​

According to the OECD’s latest version of the Rampage Shooting Index, a pair of deadly shootings in Switzerland in early 2013 pushed the U.S. out of the top five OECD nations for the most per capita fatalities, but the U.S. continues to have the most rampage shooting deaths (one reason could be its size – The U.S. population accounts for 25 percent of the OECD total). However, the U.S. saw a drop in mass shooting deaths from 93 in 2012 to 68 in 2013.​

The U.S.’ index of 0.12 per 5,000,000 places it behind Norway (recall the Anders Breivik massacre), Finland, Slovakia, Israel, and Switzerland – at half the ratio.

Another thing one might note: The top 5 countries for mass shootings per capita all have “restrictive” gun policies.


If You Look at This Chart of Top 10 Nations in the World for Mass Shootings – One Thing Jumps Out

 

[SLM]

What the US has more than anywhere else in the world is sensationalist media that can make a hang nail seem like the end of the world.

That chart does not surprise me but I doubt very much that numbers (aka "facts") will be enough to deter people from their hard earned faith in the "violence in the US" stereotype.

 

[Kreskin]

Most of those countries had 1 'rampage' shooting. A little silly to create a per capita average based on a single incident.

The US isn't as bad as some banana republics but comparing gun deaths to Norway is just laughable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

 

[Cliffy]

Could there be some kind of co-relationship between domestic mass murders and large scale killing of civilians in other countries by US troupes? I do believe that there is a relationship between domestic and foreign violence and the US is world leader in attacking and killing hundreds of thousands, most are civilians.... KARMA IS A BITCH!

 

[EagleSmack]

tard

 

[Ludlow]

Who can pinpoint the reasons why some people have the capacity to view another human being not as a living soul , but reduce them to simply a vehicle, a target to , a means to a sick and twisted end. The experts can't figure this out, I know I have no idea. I despise weapons of violence but even that doesn't address the root of the problem. Just don't know.

 

[Sal]

Who can pinpoint the reasons why some people have the capacity to view another human being not as a living soul , but reduce them to simply a vehicle, a target to , a means to a sick and twisted end. The experts can't figure this out, I know I have no idea. I despise weapons of violence but even that doesn't address the root of the problem. Just don't know.

who knows in every instance but there are some basic knowns

we are hardwired to survive....all species are...therefore whatever we feel threatened by, whatever causes us fear, whatever we think may injure us gives us justification to injure or exterminate that cause...we then justify it to lessen the guilt if we are capable of guilt because not all are

some of us are hardened to the suffering of other creatures and thus it doesn't bother them...they make the best killers of humans and other creatures

 

[petros]

Do humans have the domestication gene like other mammals?

 

[Ludlow]

who knows in every instance but there are some basic knowns

we are hardwired to survive....all species are...therefore whatever we feel threatened by, whatever causes us fear, whatever we think may injure us gives us justification to injure or exterminate that cause...we then justify it to lessen the guilt if we are capable of guilt because not all are

some of us are hardened to the suffering of other creatures and thus it doesn't bother them...they make the best killers of humans and other creatures

I think the only way to harden yourself to the suffering of other is to dehumanize them in your own mind. Can't relate to that hell I'll swerve to the side of the road to miss hitting a quail. But I am a hypocrite as I have ate quail before tastes like chicken. At any rate I feel that anyone who lacks the ability to perceive another human being with at least some degree of compassion simply must not have a soul. Only thing that makes sense.

 

[darkbeaver]

tard

Ya just can't handle the facts can ya?

 

[B00Mer]

Ya just can't handle the facts can ya?

Oh lovely, DumbBeaver is back..

 

[gerryh]

who knows in every instance but there are some basic knowns

we are hardwired to survive....all species are...therefore whatever we feel threatened by, whatever causes us fear, whatever we think may injure us gives us justification to injure or exterminate that cause...we then justify it to lessen the guilt if we are capable of guilt because not all are

some of us are hardened to the suffering of other creatures and thus it doesn't bother them...they make the best killers of humans and other creatures

I guess the americans are threatened a hell of a lot more than us lowly Canadians.

 

[Curious Cdn]

But let’s be clear: At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency.
​

But is that true?


Since most statistics on mass shootings in the world compare apples and oranges by not correcting for population, let’s get a chart that makes sense, shall we?


Chart of Top 10 Nations in the World for Mass Shootings

Boom, here we go: The Rampage Shooting Index. Taken from a now-defunct website, it assembled data from around the world to construct a per capita mass shootings index that controls for population differences.

And since we’re just talking about members of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), we can assume these 34 countries are sufficiently “advanced” to enter into the discussion.

The bottom line: The United States falls from number one due to its frequency of 38 mass shootings from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013 (which would be number one without correcting for population) to number seven.

Security Magazine commented on the data findings:

Between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013,there were 413 fatalities from mass shootings in the 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). From the five-year period of 2008-2012, there were 373 total spree shooting fatalities.

​

According to the OECD’s latest version of the Rampage Shooting Index, a pair of deadly shootings in Switzerland in early 2013 pushed the U.S. out of the top five OECD nations for the most per capita fatalities, but the U.S. continues to have the most rampage shooting deaths (one reason could be its size – The U.S. population accounts for 25 percent of the OECD total). However, the U.S. saw a drop in mass shooting deaths from 93 in 2012 to 68 in 2013.​

The U.S.’ index of 0.12 per 5,000,000 places it behind Norway (recall the Anders Breivik massacre), Finland, Slovakia, Israel, and Switzerland – at half the ratio.

Another thing one might note: The top 5 countries for mass shootings per capita all have “restrictive” gun policies.


If You Look at This Chart of Top 10 Nations in the World for Mass Shootings – One Thing Jumps Out

So maybe, just maybe, Norway is at the top of the list with their one, lone incident because they have a population less than that of Toronto and the one time in their history that it happened, everyone was so dumbfounded at a shooter killing everyone in sight that it was a long while before he was stopped.

But that makes the US look a lot better so, apples and oranges DO work on the same chart, apparently.

"There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.'. Samuel Clements.

 

[Sal]

I think the only way to harden yourself to the suffering of other is to dehumanize them in your own mind. Can't relate to that hell I'll swerve to the side of the road to miss hitting a quail. But I am a hypocrite as I have ate quail before tastes like chicken. At any rate I feel that anyone who lacks the ability to perceive another human being with at least some degree of compassion simply must not have a soul. Only thing that makes sense.

well, one can also dehumanize onesself and then claim self defense regardless of circumstance

when one is at the top of the food chain and gets to decide life and death of those below, hopefully the majority are wise because if not, a lot of suffering pours down on those who are perceived as less than

I guess the americans are threatened a hell of a lot more than us lowly Canadians.

I don't know if it's the average american so much as the elite group at the top that rule them, but I would say yes

one thing I've learned ...one can lay the facts before someone ... they are facts; black and white and they lead to a conclusion

however

add in MORE facts and that conclusion needs to be altered if one wishes to stay accurate and search for "truth"

most people are just into what they want truth to be

which was the whole point in the dumbing down of America

 

[Walter]

Every time BHO opens his mouth he proves himself more of an a-hole.

 

[B00Mer]

Every time BHO opens his mouth he proves himself more of an a-hole.

You two seem to have a lot in common.. you sure you're not his son?