In response to the attack at Fort Stewart, Georgia, CNN has stated that there have been “260 mass shootings” reported in 2025.
CNN based this figure on the definition from Gun Violence Archives (GVA), which defines a “mass shooting” as an event where four or more individuals are either injured or killed, excluding the shooter. This classification is crucial because it broadens the term “mass shooting” to include incidents that might not fit the usual perception of such events.
Essentially, by counting situations that result in fewer than four deaths or even those with no fatalities, the GVA’s methodology can categorize various violent incidents—like drive-by shootings, multiple murders, or gang-related violence—as mass shootings.
Historically, as noted in an observation from Land Corporation on April 15, 2021, the definition of “mass shooting” traces back to the FBI’s characterization of “mass murderer” in the 1980s, which mentioned killing four or more individuals in one incident (not counting the assailant). Over the years, this standard has generally been maintained, though outlets like CNN and entities such as GVA have sought to redefine it.
In fact, on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, an article was published using GVA statistics, asserting that there had been over 600 mass shootings by that time.
Breitbart News highlighted a similar pattern of inflation in mass shooting reports back in 2015, when Mother Jones editor Mark Follman discussed the exaggerated figure of “355 mass shootings” claimed that year, while the actual number was closer to four.
Follman demonstrated that, under the precise definition of a mass shooting—where at least four people are killed—only four such incidents occurred in the United States between January 1 and December 3, 2015.
Consider this: while claims of 355 were made, Follman illustrated a discrepancy of 351 incidents where the definition was misapplied.
