Collection: Mass Shootings in USA
17 Articles
A collection of dubious claims and debunked rumors in the wake of mass casualties.
An 18-year-old man is suspected of opening fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, killing 18 children and three adults, including at least one teacher. Authorities said the suspect, Salvador Ramos, was killed by police.
The massacre marks another grim milestone in an ongoing series of mass shootings in the U.S. Because such events are often surrounded by unfounded rumors and social media misinformation, Snopes has covered them extensively.
Often accompanying mass shootings are conspiratorial rumors and dubious claims about the events that transpired. Below is a compilation of our reporting on related stories.
Does the U.S. Experience Far More School Shootings Than Any Other Country?
CNN got the basic facts about international school shooting frequencies right, albeit in a list...
Does the U.S. Experience Far More School Shootings Than Any Other Country?
Was March 2020 the First March Since 2002 Without a US School Shooting?
The definition of a "school shooting" varies depending on whom you ask.
Was March 2020 the First March Since 2002 Without a US School Shooting?
Was the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting a Hoax?
A video supposedly documenting that the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School were a staged...
Was the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting a Hoax?
Did the U.S. Have 251 Mass Shootings in the First 216 Days of 2019?
The number of mass shootings varies greatly depending on how such shootings are defined.
Did the U.S. Have 251 Mass Shootings in the First 216 Days of 2019?
Why Do Mass Shootings Spawn Conspiracy Theories?
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, one type of event seems particularly...
Why Do Mass Shootings Spawn Conspiracy Theories?
Were AR-15s Used in These Mass Shootings?
A viral meme asserted that AR-15 style weapons have frequently been used to commit deadly...
Were AR-15s Used in These Mass Shootings?
Were AR-15s Used in Every Major Mass Shooting in the United States After Aurora?
An attempt to link the rifle to several major mass attacks circulated widely online in...
Were AR-15s Used in Every Major Mass Shooting in the United States After Aurora?
Did Buffalo Shooting Suspect Attack Fox News in ‘Manifesto’?
The screed mentioned the "Great Replacement Theory," a white supremacist narrative that has also found...
Did Buffalo Shooting Suspect Attack Fox News in ‘Manifesto’?
Did the FBI ‘Wipe’ the Phones of Las Vegas Massacre Eyewitnesses?
A widespread story claiming the Federal Bureau of Investigation had erased Las Vegas witnesses' cell...
Did the FBI ‘Wipe’ the Phones of Las Vegas Massacre Eyewitnesses?
Conspiracy Theories Spring Up, Spread in the Wake of Las Vegas Mass Shooting
Confusion in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting and the churning out of false...
Conspiracy Theories Spring Up, Spread in the Wake of Las Vegas Mass Shooting
Did a Second Gunman Shoot From the Fourth Floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel?
Conspiracy theorists spread false information that a second person targeted a country music concert crowd...
Did a Second Gunman Shoot From the Fourth Floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel?
Was the Security Guard at Mandalay Bay an ‘Accomplice’ to the Las Vegas Mass Shooter?
Dubious and fake news web sites reported, without a shred of evidence, that the security...
Was the Security Guard at Mandalay Bay an ‘Accomplice’ to the Las Vegas Mass Shooter?
Does a Meme Show the Faces of Suspected Mass Shooters in U.S. in 2019?
After two shooting massacres in August 2019 in the U.S., some commentators focused on the...
Does a Meme Show the Faces of Suspected Mass Shooters in U.S. in 2019?
Did 26 of the 27 Deadliest Mass Shooters Come from Fatherless Homes?
Remember the children's "telephone" game, whereby a message passed from one person to another ends...
Did 26 of the 27 Deadliest Mass Shooters Come from Fatherless Homes?
Were None of 154 Mass Shootings in 2018 Committed by a Black Man, Illegal Alien, or Woman?
A hyperpartisan Facebook page gave readers an incomplete picture of mass shootings in America in...
Were None of 154 Mass Shootings in 2018 Committed by a Black Man, Illegal Alien, or Woman?
Does the United States Have a Lower Death Rate From Mass Shootings Than European Countries?
A pro-gun rights economist used questionable statistical methods to create a misleading impression.
Does the United States Have a Lower Death Rate From Mass Shootings Than European Countries?
Conspiracy Theories About Mass and School Shootings, Explained
Why do the same sets of shooting conspiracy theories and tropes appear every time there...
Conspiracy Theories About Mass and School Shootings, Explained