Under the “Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012,” the FBI continues to provide federal investigative assistance to active shooter incidents at the request of state or local law enforcement.
Active shooter incidents are a subset of gun violence. It is important to note that not all violent firearm crimes are considered active shooter attacks; many are excluded from FBI active shooter reports for specific reasons detailed in the methodology section.
The FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.
Characterized by their ongoing nature, these situations offer a crucial window during which both citizens and law enforcement have the potential to intervene and save lives.
Each year, the FBI’s active shooter report compiles and categorizes critical data to support law enforcement, emergency responders, private organizations, and the public to better understand these threats. By doing so, the report aims to provide valuable insights designed to aid in prevention, mitigation, and response efforts against active shooter situations.
This is the latest installment in the FBI’s series of active shooter reports, which have been published since September 2014.
A range of factors can influence the occurrence of active shooter incidents, including prevention efforts, preparedness measures, behavioral threat assessments, and enhanced communication and collaboration among law enforcement, private sector partners, and communities.
This report does not contain analysis regarding fluctuations in active shooter incidents from year to year.
The FBI collaborates with the ALERRT Center at Texas State University to form the FBI’s Active Shooter Working Group. This group evaluates shooting incidents against specific criteria for inclusion in the FBI’s annual active shooter report.
References to incidents and attacks are used throughout this report to indicate an active shooter situation.
The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 and Attorney General Order 3365-2013 (02/25/2013) tasked the FBI to research active shooter incidents beginning with the year 2000.
The methodology described was first discussed in Blair, J. Pete, and Schweit, Katherine W. A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013, Texas State University and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., 2014.
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