It all boils down to definitions. If one uses Lott's rather bizarre definition, but correct for his most blatant distortions and inaccuracies, it is around two thirds occurring in GFZs. However, Lott's definitions are absurd by design so I wouldn't favor this route.
If I had to pick a number, I'd go with the most recent study (our factsheet was published years before this released, otherwise it would've been included) on active shooting cases, which finds roughly half occur in GFZs (while around 60% of similar locations without a shooting are GFZs): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(24)00164-9/fulltext
In short, the only "research" finding that mass shootings overwhelmingly occur in GFZs comes from Lott, and it is marred by so many errors and outright fraud that it is worthless. For respectable research, and it goes anywhere from 10-50% depending on definitions. Under any reasonable definition and methodology, GFZs are not magnets.
So what do you think the correct numbers and/or percentage is?
Hi David,
It all boils down to definitions. If one uses Lott's rather bizarre definition, but correct for his most blatant distortions and inaccuracies, it is around two thirds occurring in GFZs. However, Lott's definitions are absurd by design so I wouldn't favor this route.
Other studies of mass shootings or high-fatality mass shootings put it at around 12-13%, as we describe here (with links): https://www.gvpedia.org/gun-myths/occur-in/
If I had to pick a number, I'd go with the most recent study (our factsheet was published years before this released, otherwise it would've been included) on active shooting cases, which finds roughly half occur in GFZs (while around 60% of similar locations without a shooting are GFZs): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(24)00164-9/fulltext
In short, the only "research" finding that mass shootings overwhelmingly occur in GFZs comes from Lott, and it is marred by so many errors and outright fraud that it is worthless. For respectable research, and it goes anywhere from 10-50% depending on definitions. Under any reasonable definition and methodology, GFZs are not magnets.
Hope this helps,
Devin