Mass Shootings in 2012: A Google Map Perspective

Following the shooting attack in Wisconsin and last month’s massacre in Colorado, I felt it would be interesting to show how many shootings have been deemed significant by the press or by other gun safety advocates using a Google Map. A quick Google search revealed a report compiled by the largest gun control advocates in the county, The Brady Campaign for Gun Violence.  The report lists all of the “Mass Shootings Since 2005” and gives excerpts from popular articles released by various news sources at the time of the shooting.

The Brady Campaign was started by former Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary, James Brady, who was permanently disabled and nearly killed as a result of the assassination attempt on former President Reagan in 1981. The Brady Campaign is a non-profit political organization dedicated to preventing gun violence through policy change.

Using a simplified map design and database tool called Google Fusion Tables, I complied the information and assigned marker icons appropriate to the type of location of each shooting. There are 25 markers on the map, representing each shooting that occurred in 2012.

Location Breakdown:

Memorial Day Weekend, Chicago – 40 shootings, 10 murders

Residence/Business – 6 shootings

Nightclub/Bars – 4 shootings

Sporting Venues – 2 shootings

Public Parks – 2 shootings

City Streets – 1 shooting

Sikh Temple – 1 shooting

School – 1 shooting

Movie Theater – 1 shooting

Psychiatric Hospital – 1 shooting

From a Bicycle “ride by” – 1 shooting

Religious School – 1 shooting

Funeral Home – 1 shooting

Concert – 1 shooting

*Sources: All ‘info bubble’ content is credited to The Brady Campaign report, “Mass Shootings in the United States Since 2005“.