US Set New Record for Mass Shootings in 2023 - Report

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of mass shootings in the United States this year has reached 38, the highest number since at least 2006, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing data of its own online tracker.

The newspaper defines mass shootings as incidents of gun violence in which at least four people are killed, excluding the shooter. The tracker relies on mass killings information collected by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University that dates back to 2006.

Last Sunday, police in Texas and Washington received two reports of mass shootings less than 1.5 hours apart, marking the 37th and 38th such incident this year. The previous record was set in 2022 with 36 shootings, the report said.

This year's deadliest gun incident took place on October 25 in Lewiston, Maine, when a 40-year-old man opened fire in a bar and a bowling alley, killing 18 people and wounding another 13.

In 2022, over 48,000 people died of gunshot wounds in the US, which averages out to some 132 deaths per day, the newspaper added, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.