The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic

by Jillian Peterson Ph.D, James Densley Ph.D

Overview

"Groundbreaking." ―Rachel Louise Snyder, bestselling author of No Visible Bruises

An examination of the phenomenon of mass shootings in America and an urgent call to implement evidence-based strategies to stop these tragedies

Winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award

Using data from the writers’ groundbreaking research on mass shooters, including first-person accounts from the perpetrators themselves, The Violence Project charts new pathways to prevention and innovative ways to stop the social contagion of violence. Frustrated by reactionary policy conversations that never seemed to convert into meaningful action, special investigator and psychologist Jill Peterson and sociologist James Densley built The Violence Project, the first comprehensive database of mass shooters. Their goal was to establish the root causes of mass shootings and figure out how to stop them by examining hundreds of data points in the life histories of more than 170 mass shooters—from their childhood and adolescence to their mental health and motives. They’ve also interviewed the living perpetrators of mass shootings and people who knew them, shooting survivors, victims’ families, first responders, and leading experts to gain a comprehensive firsthand understanding of the real stories behind them, rather than the sensationalized media narratives that too often prevail. For the first time, instead of offering thoughts and prayers for the victims of these crimes, Peterson and Densley share their data-driven solutions for exactly what we must do, at the individual level, in our communities, and as a country, to put an end to these tragedies that have defined our modern era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419752964
Publisher:	Abrams Press
Publication date:	09/20/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	62,549
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jillian Peterson, PhD, is a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University. She has led large-scale research studies on mental illness and crime, school shootings, and mass violence. James Densley, PhD, is a professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University, which is part of the Minnesota State system. He is known for his international work on gangs, criminal networks, violent extremism, and policing. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jillian and James run The Violence Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research center known worldwide for its work on mass shooting prevention. The Violence Project has featured in CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading media outlets.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Monsters 1

Chapter 2 America 19

Chapter 3 Trauma 33

Chapter 4 Crisis 53

Chapter 5 Relationships 71

Chapter 6 Proof 97

Chapter 7 Hate 123

Chapter 8 Opportunity 145

Chapter 9 Hope 173

Acknowledgments 189

Afterword 191

Notes 199

Index 223

Editorial Reviews

If you ever wondered how can we stop mass shootings, this is the book for you. By mixing compelling first-person interviews with mass shooters and significant data analysis, The Violence Project illustrates the tangible ways we can intervene and prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one is helpless—read this book and help stop violence before it starts.

co-founder and managing director, Sandy Hook Promise - Nicole Hockley

A moving book that not only translates the authors’ years of research, but also synthesizes the available literature on mass shootings in an easily digestible, yet compelling format for the lay audience... an essential read.

The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

[The] book identifies 34 potential solutions to the mass shooting epidemic...[it] focuses on understanding past mass shooters and preventing future ones by showing that our approach to mass shooters is flawed. By painting them as one-dimensional monsters, we avoid society's involvement. And that stops us from solving the problem.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

One major advantage of this book over others is that it directly addresses the ‘So what can I do?’ dilemma. Unlike journal articles and books that focus on state or Federal policy efforts, this book offers a three-part approach to prevention. The book recommends steps we can take as individuals, institutions, and as a society. … This book emphasizes concrete action, with links and descriptions of resources that can help facilitation these actions. In doing so, this book gives the reader a sense that mass shootings are preventable if we are willing to take a few basic steps to get started.

Crime Prevention and Community Safety

One of the most comprehensive studies of the subject

Wall Street Journal

It's a reframing of our mass shooting problem, beyond the familiar and mistaken messaging that bullying, video games and undiagnosed mental illness lay at the crux of the crimes....a reminder to open our eyes...It helpfully summarizes de-escalation techniques and it relays four D's of crisis, dangerous, disruptive, dysregulated or distressed behaviors... a courageous deep dive into a topic for public health that most researchers would rather forget.”

Mitchell Daily Republic

This is a thorough, groundbreaking work … A gripping book that will captivate anyone seeking to understand why mass shootings occur and what might be done to recognize and intervene with potential shooters before they act.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Insightful and cautiously optimistic ... the authors’ nuanced portraits of mass shooters buttress the case that these tragedies ‘are not an inevitable fact of American life; they’re preventable.’ This is a sensitive and knowledgeable treatment of one of America’s most vexing social problems.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A bracing compilation of mass shooter profiles and first-person accounts from violent criminals ... a multifaceted study that is alternately horrifying, depressing, and even hopeful ... A distressing, critical study in the understanding, processing, and prevention of mass-casualty gun violence.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“One of the most comprehensive studies of the subject”—Wall Street Journal

“[The] book identifies 34 potential solutions to the mass shooting epidemic...[it] focuses on understanding past mass shooters and preventing future ones by showing that our approach to mass shooters is flawed. By painting them as one-dimensional monsters, we avoid society's involvement. And that stops us from solving the problem.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Reading The Violence Project is like having the lights turned on in a dark stadium. Jillian Peterson and James Densley illuminate for us the darkest corners of our violent predilections. They’ve told us what to do; the rest is up to us. Groundbreaking!”—Rachel Louise Snyder, bestselling author of No Visible Bruises

“If you ever wondered how can we stop mass shootings, this is the book for you. By mixing compelling first-person interviews with mass shooters and significant data analysis, The Violence Project illustrates the tangible ways we can intervene and prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one is helpless—read this book and help stop violence before it starts.”—Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director, Sandy Hook Promise

“It's a reframing of our mass shooting problem, beyond the familiar and mistaken messaging that bullying, video games and undiagnosed mental illness lay at the crux of the crimes....a reminder to open our eyes...It helpfully summarizes de-escalation techniques and it relays four D's of crisis, dangerous, disruptive, dysregulated or distressed behaviors... a courageous deep dive into a topic for public health that most researchers would rather forget.”
—Mitchell Daily Republic

“a must read for every school employee... While there is no simple solution to the problem, the book has numerous helpful suggestions, including one for the media. Give only minimal recognition to the shooter by name.”
—Morrison County Record

“A moving book that not only translates the authors’ years of research, but also synthesizes the available literature on mass shootings in an easily digestible, yet compelling format for the lay audience... an essential read.”—The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

"The Violence Project work is a statement of hope in a time when it is easy to feel that Americans have become so inured to gun violence that we simply accept it as standard operating procedure"—Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism

"For teachers, business owners, parents, and health care providers, for anyone passionate about gun control laws, or anyone yearning to know more—this text is for everyone. The Violence Project tells you everything you need to know about the mass shooting epidemic in the United States and offers evidence-based solutions as to how this crisis can be abated. The authors discuss everything from live shooter drills to security products, explaining what works and what doesn’t based upon their extensive research."
—True Crime Index

“One major advantage of this book over others is that it directly addresses the ‘So what can I do?’ dilemma. Unlike journal articles and books that focus on state or Federal policy efforts, this book offers a three-part approach to prevention. The book recommends steps we can take as individuals, institutions, and as a society. … This book emphasizes concrete action, with links and descriptions of resources that can help facilitation these actions. In doing so, this book gives the reader a sense that mass shootings are preventable if we are willing to take a few basic steps to get started.”—Crime Prevention and Community Safety

From the Publisher

07/26/2021

In this insightful and cautiously optimistic account, psychologist Peterson and sociologist Densley present findings from their study of nearly 200 mass shootings in the U.S. between 1966 and 2020. Drawing on trial transcripts, media reports, and interviews with perpetrators, their friends and family, and survivors, Peterson and Densley identify risk factors, including childhood abuse and neglect, that increase the likelihood a young person might commit such a crime, and contend that trauma screening in schools could help reduce the frequency of mass shootings. Peterson and Densley also show that shooters often experience a personal crisis shortly before committing their crime, and provide lists of warning signs (increased agitation, abusive behavior) and de-escalation strategies. To prevent mass shootings motivated by hate-based ideology, the authors suggest deplatforming extremists online and “cognitively empower” people to think more critically. They also call on reporters to avoid “excessive, irrelevant details” in their coverage of perpetrators, and support “red flag” laws that allow for the removal of firearms from people deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. Throughout, the authors’ nuanced portraits of mass shooters buttress the case that these tragedies “are not an inevitable fact of American life; they’re preventable.” This is a sensitive and knowledgeable treatment of one of America’s most vexing social problems. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"For teachers, business owners, parents, and health care providers, for anyone passionate about gun control laws, or anyone yearning to know more—this text is for everyone. The Violence Project tells you everything you need to know about the mass shooting epidemic in the United States and offers evidence-based solutions as to how this crisis can be abated. The authors discuss everything from live shooter drills to security products, explaining what works and what doesn’t based upon their extensive research."

True Crime Index

Reading The Violence Project is like having the lights turned on in a dark stadium. Jillian Peterson and James Densley illuminate for us the darkest corners of our violent predilections. They’ve told us what to do; the rest is up to us. Groundbreaking!

bestselling author of No Visible Bruises - Rachel Louise Snyder

a must read for every school employee... While there is no simple solution to the problem, the book has numerous helpful suggestions, including one for the media. Give only minimal recognition to the shooter by name.”

Morrison County Record

"The Violence Project work is a statement of hope in a time when it is easy to feel that Americans have become so inured to gun violence that we simply accept it as standard operating procedure"

Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism

★ 09/01/2021

Peterson (criminology and criminal justice, Hamline Univ.) and Densley (criminal justice, Metropolitan State Univ.) report on their research examining the root causes of mass shootings. Frustrated by policies that were created only after shootings occurred, Peterson and Densley decided to study every mass shooter (defined as anyone who "killed four or more people in a public space") since 1966. They gathered information to "see if profiles emerged that might point us to new ideas for prevention"; the result was a database of shooters, with basic demographics (age, education, gender, race, etc.) and more in-depth information (whether the perpetrator had been institutionalized for mental illness; whether they had told anyone about their plans in advance). The authors found that killers often follow a pattern: Many were abused as children, reached a crisis point in the weeks or months before the shooting, and blamed an individual or group for their rage and frustration. This is a thorough, groundbreaking work that attempts to understand mass shootings and ways to prevent them. VERDICT A gripping book that will captivate anyone seeking to understand why mass shootings occur and what might be done to recognize and intervene with potential shooters before they act.—Kristy White, Duquesne Univ., PA

Library Journal

2021-07-18
A report on a unique nonpartisan, nonprofit research center working to stem the tide of mass shootings in America.

Peterson and Densley, both professors of criminology, intensively survey the effects of gun violence via the data-driven prevention group called the Violence Project. In 2018, the authors, who co-founded the project, began anonymously interviewing incarcerated individuals in an effort to illuminate their life histories. Early on, five felons agreed to participate in the uncompensated project, which then expanded outward in interviews with their former and current spouses, family, friends, co-workers, and survivors. Using these interactions, Peterson and Densley sought to garner a more well-rounded perspective of who the shooter is or was and how their personal history shaped them. The result is a bracing compilation of mass shooter profiles and first-person accounts from violent criminals, beginning with the Parkland shooter’s emotional breakdown as he apologized to his brother. This sequence sets the tone for the remaining perpetrators, who are chillingly yet humanely profiled in a multifaceted study that is alternately horrifying, depressing, and even hopeful. The U.S., write the authors “is a lonely island when it comes to mass shootings,” mainly due to the country’s love affair with guns and unrelenting, often misguided, protection of the Second Amendment. (One shooter interviewed not only names the guns in his arsenal; he sleeps with them.) Chronicling the lives of a variety of perpetrators, from mentally distressed school shooters to rampaging extremists, the authors identify many shared attributes and experiences, including childhood trauma, anger, loneliness, societal stressors, and suicidal ideation. Many of these factors serve as propellants for terrible acts of violence, but, as the authors argue convincingly, they also can become integral parts in “unlocking solutions” for personal crisis and trauma intervention across individual, institutional, and societal levels. The authors conclude with holistic, interventional, and tangible strategies for reducing violence in contemporary society.

A distressing, critical study in the understanding, processing, and prevention of mass-casualty gun violence.

Kirkus Reviews