FBI: U.S. now has one active shooter incident every three weeks... [View all]

[Playinghardball]

Active shooter incidents are becoming more common, according to an FBI report released Wednesday.

The study defines "active shooter incident" as one involving "an individual or individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area." An active shooter incident at least three fatalities. Only 40 percent of the incidents in the FBI report would qualify as mass killings. (Sidebar: How sad is it that our official vocabulary of killing has grown so complex and precise in recent years?)

Over the past seven years, we've averaged 16.4 active shooter incidents per year -- that's roughly one every three weeks. The study underscores just how fast these things typically isn't exactly the same thing as a mass killing, which according to a new federal definition involves happen: Among shootings whose duration could be ascertained, 69 percent were over in five minutes or less, and 36 percent were over in two minutes or less.

The majority of the incidents in the report -- 60 percent -- were over before police could arrive on the scene.

More here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/25/fbi-u-s-now-has-one-active-shooter-incident-every-three-weeks/