The bar keeps getting higher and higher when it comes to the largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history, and that’s because they keep happening, and keep getting worse. The latest mass shooting in Las Vegas was also one of the biggest mass shootings in the world.
In America, you never know what news you will wake up to. It seems every few months or so, we are waking up to another deadly shooting where a lone gunman fired into a crowd of innocent people, who in many cases, we’re just having a good time. Officials are already calling the Las Vegas shooting one of, if not the deadliest, shootings in American history. The sad part is, waking up to the news that dozens were killed and hundreds more injured is not as unbelievable as it should be, because we’ve become so numb to it in this country. In the midst of the chaos that ensues following a mass shooting, the gun debate is revived for a short period of time, until there’s something new to grab our attention. However, many of us continue to wonder why regular civilians are allowed access (and sometimes easy access) to military grade riffles. On top of that, background checks are not required for these purchases.
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The combination of mental illness, access to automatic weapons, and much more, seems to be the culprit that drives those who have committed the worst mass killings in history. One would think, after just one of these killings, society would be up in arms about demanding stricter laws on guns. As we see, that’s not the case because Americans love their guns and feel it’s necessary to own multiple guns to “protect themselves.” Ironically, if you take a look at a list of mass shootings in America, you will notice that an “average American” with a gun didn’t save the day or prevent dozens of lives from being lost, so I can’t seem to understand why people think this is a valid argument. Before you succumb to human nature to find the common denominator among these shootings – aka ‘pattern recognition’ – go ahead and categorize whatever you come up with as false pattern recognition. Nothing is common here, so outlawing hunting or Muslims or gays (as many seem to focus heavily on these groups, like they’re America’s biggest problem) or whatever you think is behind this garbage is useless. Just get rid of the weapon – most efficient path, yo. Nothing’s more effective at losing weight like getting rid of the damn food.
Every time another shooting happens, it always seems to change as far as setting. From movie theater and concert arenas, to workplaces, schools and even churches, where are we safe anymore? We will all never forget what happened at Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary, when innocent children and teens were gunned down in what will go down in history as the worst school shootings in America. We also will not forget what happened in Charleston when church parishioners were gunned down, after welcoming a stranger to join them for Bible study, or what happened during a movie premiere, hundreds were excited to see in Colorado. The memories of the events that played out surrounding some of these worst massacres in American history will never leave those who lived to witness them. Unfortunately, all the memories and “thoughts and prayers” are not enough to prevent these events from happening, until politicians can put aside their pockets and crack down on guns. It’s that simple, yet many still don’t get it, or don’t want to get it.
With this list, not only will you find the top 10 largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history, but you will also find mass shootings in the US by year. To come up with our list, we used Gun Violence Archive and The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence as our main sources. We have provided dates for each event, and you will find that the list is ranked by the number of people killed in each shooting. If this list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history doesn’t anger you and make you want to have a call to action, you are part of the problem in America.
13. Washington Navy Yard, September 2013
A 34 – year old Navy reservist decided to go the other way and cause harm. In a shootout that resulted in 12 innocent lives lost, Aaron Alexis was finally gunned down by police. No motive was immediately clear.
Pixabay/Public Domain
12. Fort Hood, November 2009
Next in line on the list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history is an Army psychiatrist who used handguns to take out 13 people and wounding 30 more. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was captured alive and sentenced to death in 2013.
Pixabay/Public Domain
11. American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY, April 2009
A 42-year-old Vietnamese ( I have to say it, but really why does it matter that he’s Vietnamese or an immigrant? We’re all immigrants.) Jiverly Wong killed 13 people before taking his own life.
Pixabay/Public Domain
10. Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA, December 2015
We are continuing our list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history with two guys with Muslim names that opened fire and killed 14 people. Syed Farook, 28 and Tashfeen Malik, 27, were taken out by police.
Pixabay/Public Domain
9. Post Office in Edmond, OK, August 1986
A white guy got mad and decided to take it out on his coworkers. Patrick Henry Sherrill shot and killed 14 co-workers and then took his own life inside the post office where he worked. He thought he was being treated unfairly at work. Up to that point, only one other guy in US history killed more people in a single day.
Pixabay/Public Domain
8. Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, April 1999
Two white boys in high school planned and executed a murder spree that resulted in the deaths of 13 people and the wounding of 24. They killed themselves.
Pixabay/Public Domain
7. University of Texas in Austin, TX, August 1966
Number seven on our list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history is a 25-year-old former Marine who killed his mother and wife, aaahhh, and then climbed the clock tower with 6 firearms. Apparently this guy was the first to mass murder folks in a public space. He shot and killed people as far away as five blocks. Police eventually killed him, but not before he claimed the lives of 14 people and wounded another 31.
Pixabay/Public Domain
6. McDonald’s in San Ysidro, CA, July 1984
This white guy literally waited by the telephone awaiting mental help. He called a help line, was told that he would be called back. The call never came, even though he waited by the phone for hours. He then pretty much lived a very normal life for about a day, and then told his wife that the lack of the return call was a signal. He walked into a McDonald’s and went to work – carefully aiming at his victims. He killed 21 and wounded 19 before he was shot and killed by police.
Pixabay/Public Domain
5. Luby’s in Killeen, TX, October 1991
A 35 year-old white guy who hated everybody drove his car into a Luby’s restaurant, screamed something about payback and opened fire, specifically targeting women. He reloaded 3 times in his spree that took the lives of 23 people. He got into a shootout with police, escaped to the restroom, and committed suicide, making this one of the largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history.
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4. Sandy Hook in Newtown, CT, December 2012
The worst one of all. I’m squaring this all on the shooter’s dad, who decided to be a dipshit selfish piece of shit and desert his mental son. Adam Lanza, a socially withdrawn boy whose parents exacerbated his illness, walked into his former elementary school and killed 26 people, mostly 5 year olds.
Pixabay / Public Domain
3. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, April 2007
At the third spot on our list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history, we have an Asian kid who apparently was never witnessed speaking, who walked onto campus and killed 32 people and injured 17 before taking his own life. Apparently everyone around him thought something was wrong with him but didn’t bother his parents or him about it, and he secretly was going bananas. There’s a video of him barely able to utter words – it’s clear he didn’t talk much cuz his mouth muscles were having a hard time delivering.
Pixabay/Public Domain
2. Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, June 2016
A Muslim who was gay and was apparently being used by a few HIV positive gays in Florida as an easy fuck (since he was hiding his orientation from his wife). So the rumor is that no one would tell Omar Matteen that the guys he was fucking had HIV and when he finally found out, he apparently decided to take revenge on gays in general. He killed 49 and injured at least 50 in a murder spree. He was killed by police after a 3 hour standoff.
Pixabay/Public Domain
1. Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, NV, October 2017
A 64 year-old white guy with no criminal history, shot from his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay resort onto the country music festival down below. Scattering bullets seemingly coming from the sky, killed 50. While we wish it didn’t happen, we hop that this shooting will be the be the last on the list of largest, deadliest mass shootings in US history, for good. Sadly however, that is not likely to be the case since no shootings prior, were enough to make a change.
Pixabay/Public Domain
