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[00:00.17] A new government report says half of the mass attacks in the United States over the past few years started as personal, family, or workplace disputes.
[00:16.10] The attackers, the report found, were mostly men.
[00:20.89] The attackers often have a history of mental health issues, money problems or domestic violence.
[00:29.38] Their weapons of choice: guns.
[00:32.84] The report was released Wednesday by the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center.
[00:41.87] The 70-page report studied 173 mass attacks carried out over a five-year period, from January 2016 to December 2020.
[00:56.75] The mass attacks happened in places such as businesses, schools and religious centers.
[01:04.18] The attacks killed a total of 513 people and injured 1,234.
[01:13.48] “It’s just happening way too often,” said Lina Alathari, the center’s director.
[01:21.18] Alathari said that while the center did not study the two most recent shootings in California, there are themes seen “over and over again” when studying mass attacks.
[01:35.53] Officials said the suspects in both recent California shootings were older men.
[01:42.17] They both used semi-automatic guns.
[01:45.62] The report is the latest in a series undertaken by the center to examine mass attacks.
[01:53.33] Earlier reports examined the years of 2017, 2018 and 2019.
[02:00.50] But the new report noted that it examines several years of data, which offers more “in-depth analysis of the thinking and behavior of mass attackers.”
[02:14.04] The center defines a mass attack as one in which three or more people — not including the attacker — were harmed.
[02:23.87] The report noted that nearly two-thirds of attackers showed behaviors or communications “that were so concerning, they should have been met with an immediate response.”
[02:37.42] It said these concerns were often shared with law enforcement, employers, school workers or parents.
[02:46.71] But in 20 percent of the cases, the concerning behavior was not communicated to anyone who could do something about it.
[02:57.34] Ninety-six percent of the attackers were men.
[03:01.59] The attackers ranged in age from 14 to 87.
[03:06.91] The report called for greater attention toward violence at home.
[03:11.68] It noted that half of the attackers had a history of domestic violence or hatred toward women.
[03:20.18] About half the attacks in the study involved workplace violence related to co-workers, customers or businesses.
[03:30.54] The report said workplaces should establish “behavioral threat assessment programs” to prevent possible violence.
[03:40.64] And it said businesses should work with law enforcement to deal with “incidents involving a concern for violence.”
[03:50.46] The report also found that firearms were used in 73 percent of incidents.
[03:58.43] Mass shootings happen often in the United States.
[04:02.42] But American lawmakers remain divided on how to deal with gun violence.
[04:08.79] Democrats are calling for more gun control measures, while Republicans’ calls center on mental health and increased security.
[04:20.21] Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the right to carry guns outside the home.
[04:27.13] The court struck down a state law in New York that required people to show a specific need to carry a firearm in public.
