This work examines mass shootings in America and urgently calls for evidence-based strategies to prevent such tragedies. Drawing from groundbreaking research, including first-person accounts from perpetrators, the authors chart new pathways to prevention and address the social contagion of violence. Frustrated by ineffective policy discussions, special investigator and psychologist Jill Peterson, along with sociologist James Densley, established the Violence Project, the first comprehensive database of mass shooters. Their aim is to uncover the root causes of these events by analyzing the life histories of over 170 mass shooters, including their childhoods, mental health, and motivations. They have also engaged with living perpetrators, survivors, victims’ families, first responders, and experts to gain a nuanced understanding of the realities behind these incidents, moving beyond sensationalized media narratives. Rather than offering mere thoughts and prayers for victims, Peterson and Densley present data-driven solutions for action at individual, community, and national levels to effectively address and ultimately end these defining tragedies of our time.
