US shootings, gun violence rates at historic highs ahead of July 4th holiday

The United States has witnessed five mass shootings each Independence Day on average over the past decade — more than on any other day of the year.

In that time, there have been more than 50 shootings in which four or more people were hit by gunfire on July Fourth, according to an analysis of Gun Violence Archive data by researcher James Alan Fox of Northeastern University in Boston.

Last year, a gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle opened fire on a Fourth of July parade from a rooftop, killing seven people and wounding nearly 50 others in Highland Park, Illinois.

The community plans to hold a remembrance ceremony and walk the parade route Tuesday − a subdued march without floats or performers.

The holiday this year comes as the nation is grappling with historically elevated levels of gun violence, which surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

Seven out of 10 Americans say crime is "out of control" in the United States, according to a June USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of 1,000 residents.

While early data suggests overall firearm homicides may finally be starting to decline again, researchers are documenting an alarming acceleration of mass shootings and mass killings, frequent episodes of gunfire on school grounds and increasing incidents of armed robberies, carjackings and road rage in many cities.

Source: USA Today

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