Considering how commonly the term is used in 21st-century America, it seems odd that "mass shooting" has no official definition.
Generally, the FBI defines “mass murder” as a case involving at least four fatalities, not including the perpetrator. Many researchers don’t count domestic-violence shootings, or those that take place during another crime, such as a robbery.
Others – especially advocates for stronger gun-control laws – point out that the narrow definitions minimize injuries suffered in many shootings: If four or five people are wounded at the same time and location, doesn’t that constitute a mass shooting?
So, with that in mind, it is accurate to draw two very different conclusions about gun violence in Georgia in 2015:
One, the state experienced no mass shootings.
Two, there were 20 such shootings, killing 27 people and wounding 71.
The latter is the conclusion drawn from shootingtracker.com, a nationwide gun-violence database. It compiles information from news reports and law enforcement documents on shootings with multiple victims – on average, more than one a day somewhere in the United States.
A look at the database shows that most of the Georgia shootings involved people who were either related or acquainted: Eighteen of the 27 deaths occurred in domestic disputes.
Just three of the 20 shootings appear to have entirely random, with gunmen firing upon strangers for no apparent reason.
Here’s a look at the Georgia cases included in the shootingtracker.com database:
Jan. 2, Savannah
One dead, four wounded
A domestic dispute left five people shot, including two children.
Jan. 28, DeKalb County
One dead, three wounded
Four shooting victims – one already dead – were discovered inside a home in south DeKalb County. It was not clear whether one of the victims was also the shooter.
Jan. 31, LaGrange
Four killed
Thomas Jesse Lee was charged with killing five family members inside their home. Four of the victims died from gunshot wounds; one child was suffocated.
Feb. 7, Douglasville
Five killed, two wounded
Cedric Prather shot and killed his former wife, her boyfriend and two of his children before killing himself. Two other children were wounded.
Feb. 22, Clarkesville
Three killed, two wounded
A former Habersham County deputy sheriff killed his wife and a male friend at her home, then wounded two law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting. The former deputy died in the ensuing shootout.
March 10, Columbus
Five wounded
Shots were fired outside two strip clubs near Fort Benning. No life-threatening injuries were reported.
March 14, Atlanta
Five wounded
Five men were injured from gunshots fired outside an apartment complex in the Adamsville neighborhood.
April 7, Rome
One killed, three wounded
Two people were charged with killing a resident and wounding three of his guests during a home-invasion robbery.
May 31, Conyers
Three killed, two wounded
A man armed with an assault-style rifle and two handguns opened fire at a liquor store, killing the owner and a customer. Another customer opened fire on the gunman, who escaped. Later, the man shot and wounded both his parents before he was killed in a shootout with police.
June 13, Milledgeville
One killed, three wounded
A man was found shot to death outside a bar at closing time. Three other victims were inside the establishment.
June 13, Fayetteville
One killed, four wounded
Gunfire erupted at a pool party attended by as many as 200 teenagers. A 19-year-old in the crowd died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
July 15, Atlanta
Five wounded
An argument among as many as 20 neighbors over a children's football game escalated to gunfire. No children were wounded.
July 22, Suwannee
Five killed
Matthew Kyle Fields shot and killed his wife; her sons, ages 9 and 8; and her 75-year-old father before killing himself.
Aug. 2, Savannah
Five wounded
An early morning fight between two men in Ellis Square led to gunfire, wounding five bystanders. One was 16 years old. Another was a soldier stationed at Fort Stewart.
Sept. 8, Colquitt County
Four wounded
A man reportedly using drugs opened fire with a shotgun and a rifle, wounding four acquaintances. All four declined medical treatment.
Sept. 23, Norcross
One killed, three wounded
Several shots were fired when a late-night fight broke out among as many as 20 young men. A 19-year-old died.
Sept. 27, Meriwether County
10 wounded
Two people opened fire on an adult's birthday party after what police described as a dispute over gambling. The victims' ages ranged from 16 to 29.
Oct. 12, Decatur
Four wounded
A 14-month-old boy was seriously wounded, along with his father and two of his uncles, when a gunman opened fire on a group standing in a breezeway at an apartment complex on Glenwood Road.
Dec. 2, Savannah
One killed, three wounded
A 34-year-old woman died after two people opened fire on a group at a Savannah home.
Dec. 12, Savannah
Four wounded
Several people leaving a nightclub got into a fight in a downtown parking garage, leading to gunfire. One of the victims was shot as he tried to drive past the fight.
Regardless of whether these cases constitute mass shootings, they represent a tiny fraction of Georgia's firearms deaths. Totals for 2015 are not available, but more than 1,200 people have died from gunshot wounds each of the past several years in Georgia.
Nearly three in five were suicides.
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