Study finds mass shooters with a desire for fame are more inclined to plan unexpected attacks.

Mass shooters who seek fame plan their attacks as “surprises,” deliberately deviating from previous incidents in ways that make them difficult to prevent. This is the key finding of a new study by NYU Tandon School of Engineering, focused on a subset of U.S. mass shooters for whom notoriety is the main objective. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzed data from 189 mass shootings carried out between 1966 and 2021. The research revealed that attackers motivated by fame planned their crimes around the novelty of the location and targets, which boosted their fame even when controlling for the number of fatalities. Attacks by fame-seekers were about three times more surprising than those committed by non-fame-seekers.

According to Maurizio Porfiri, NYU Tandon Institute Professor and Director of the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), the novelty of fame-seeking mass shooters’ attacks adds urgency to two important preventative measures: red flag laws and how the media cover mass shootings. Red flag laws allow authorities to restrict firearm access for people exhibiting threatening behavior, which Porfiri argues could prevent some crimes carried out by fame seekers. However, if mass shooters are seeking novelty rather than targeting traditional mass shooting locations, increasing security might not be effective. The media has an important role in addressing this. Researchers relied on Wikipedia traffic data to assess fame, rather than the quantity of media coverage, and Porfiri suggested that reducing media coverage of shootings could play a role in reducing the incidence of attacks motivated by notoriety.

The researchers found that eight out of the ten most well-known mass shootings were committed by fame-seekers. The research team included Ph.D. candidate Rayan Succar, Postdoctoral Fellow Roni Barak Ventura, former high-school intern Maxim Belykh, and undergraduate student Sihan Wei.

 

Reference

Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessory action within 24 hours.

Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.