William Paterson Professor Looks At 'Gender-Based Mass Shootings'

WAYNE, NJ — Nearly a third of all mass shootings since 1966 were motivated by grievances against women, according to new research published in the journal Violence Against Women.

The study is authored by Jason Silva, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.

Silva, along with a team of three researchers, found that nearly 50 percent of shootings from 1966 to 2018 were motivated by attacks against a specific woman who was targeted, such as a girlfriend, wife, or a woman who rejected the male shooter’s advances.

The second most common type involved perpetrators with grievances against a specific woman, but whom they did not target.

"There has been a perception that mass shooters are only targeting random individuals in public places, and it can happen to anyone, anywhere," said Silva. "However, many times, the perpetrators are beginning with a specific victim, and then ultimately they go on to kill other people."

The study examines the incidence rate, motivations, and characteristics of perpetrators, and also highlights the role of toxic masculinity and possible reasons why the majority of shooters are males.

One breakthrough came when looking into the marital status of those who carry out the attacks.

Gender-based shooters are more likely to be married, engaged, separated, or divorced than other mass shooters, the study found. They are also more likely to have a history of domestic violence and substance abuse.

"That was another big finding," said Silva. "We assumed that they were going to be more likely single, but that was not always the case. In fact, we found that they often had a relationship and sometimes that relationship was motivating their attack."

Findings from this study provide hope for scholars and others working to develop prevention and intervention strategies for future mass shootings, Silva said.

A link to the study can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/d...