Mass Shooting

Columbine is no longer one of the 10 deadliest shootings in modern US history

In the 18 years since Columbine rocked America to its core, the country has seen so many more mass shootings that the attack isn't even among the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.

Five types of gun laws the Founding Fathers loved

by Saul Cornell

The Second Amendment is one of the most frequently cited provisions in the American Constitution, but also one of the most poorly understood.

How the US government created and coddled the gun industry

by Brian DeLay

The gun lobby has succeeded by promoting an ingenious illusion. It has framed government as the enemy of the gun business rather than its indispensable historic patron.

White House Calls Out Las Vegas Professor for Saying After Mass Shooting That Trump's Election Incited Violence

Tessa Winkelmann told her history class that she predicted Trump’s election would lead to death. She’s now apologized.

Gun Anarchy and the Unfree State

by Saul Cornell

The real history of the Second Amendment.

Las Vegas Is Only the Deadliest Shooting in US History Because They Don’t Count Black Lives

The black website The Root objects that the media are ignoring the long string of incidents in which blacks were slaughtered.

26 Gun murders (equiv. 130) in England vs. *11,004* in US Annually

by Juan Cole

The United States continues to be peculiar in handing out powerful magazine-fed firearms to almost anyone who wants one and not requiring background checks on private purchases even if these are made at gun shows or by persons with a history of mental illness.

Is Las Vegas the worst mass shooting in US history? It’s surprisingly complicated.

It depends on what counts as a mass shooting — and the typical definition leaves out some pretty bad attacks.

What Should We Make of the Democrats' Sit-In in Congress?

by Ray Smock

The part of me that is a congressional historian sees this as a useful signpost and a colorful narrative of the ongoing stress that comes from an obstructionist Congress.

The Echoes of Nazism in Orlando

by Jim Downs

Gay people have had to live with the memory of Nazi persecution. Orlando revives the memory.

Why Do Humans Commit Extraordinary Evil?

by Guenter Lewy

In the wake of Orlando this remains a key question.

The Deadliest Attack on Gays Before Orlando Was Treated Like a Joke

The 1973 arson of the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans was the deadliest day for LGBT people in America until the massacre at Pulse.

The son of an immigrant resorts to terrorism. It happened a century ago.

by Michael Wolraich

And just like now the incident led to calls for a ban on certain immigrants.

How does Orlando massacre fit in US history?

Mass violence has "a long, ugly history" in America, said Katherine Grandjean, history professor at Wellesley College. "It's a pattern as old as the nation and goes back long before even into the colonial roots."

Manisha Sinha says gun control advocates can learn plenty from Abolitionists

Like abolitionists, gun control advocates should pick concrete fights they can win, she says in an interview.

Was Orlando the Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History?

And even if it is, does that title matter?

Garry Wills says we won’t do anything about guns for one simple reason

by Garry Wills

We are captive to the gun

A problematic diversity of views after Orlando shootings

by Jonathan Zimmerman

The Orlando mass shooting poses uncomfortable issues for both liberals and conservatives.

What Historians Are Saying on Social Media About the Orlando Massacre

Some are focusing on the shooter, others on the victims and still others on our reaction.

A Brief History of Attacks at Gay and Lesbian Bars

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is no stranger to violence.