An anti-gun violence sign is seen at a candlelight vigil in Highland Park, suburb of Chicago, Illinois, the United States, July 5, 2022. People held mourning services for a mass shooting during an Independence Day parade in downtown Highland Park on July 4. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
The Gun Violence Archive lists 315 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of this year, and roughly 22,500 deaths caused by any form of gun violence.
NEW YORK, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Gun violence spiked over the Fourth of July weekend and shootings were reported in nearly every U.S. state, with at least 220 people killed and close to 570 others wounded, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Published tallies showed the number of weekend shootings was almost equal to the number of resulting injuries, with well over 500 instances of shootings documented nationwide between Friday and Monday. There were only five states where one or more shootings were not reported in that time frame.
Of all gun violence incidents accounted for during the holiday weekend, at least 11 were classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive. Any situation where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed or wounded by gunshots is considered a mass shooting.
The database lists 315 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of this year, and roughly 22,500 deaths caused by any form of gun violence. The number of injuries so far traced to gun violence approaches the total death toll.
"Seeing an increase in gun violence around Fourth of July is not rare in the U.S., and this past weekend's reports from the Gun Violence Archive mirror those released in previous years," said CBS in its report on Tuesday, noting that in 2021, more than 180 people were killed and 516 were injured in shootings that took place during the same holiday weekend. ■