Fact check: How many school shooters were white

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided by various sources indicate that a significant percentage of mass shooters in the United States are white. According to ^[1], between 1982 and August 2025, 84 out of the 155 mass shootings in the United States were carried out by white shooters, which accounts for 54% of the total mass shootings ^[1]. This finding is supported by ^[2], which states that mass shooters are racially/ethnically diverse, though a majority are white, with 54.4% of perpetrators being white ^[2]. Similar results are reported by ^[2], ^[1], and ^[1], which also indicate that approximately 54% of mass shooters are white ^{[2] [1]}. However, it is essential to note that these sources do not specifically focus on school shooters, but rather on mass shooters in general. The only source that provides information on school shootings is ^[3], which reports on the number of school shootings in the United States, but does not provide specific information about the race of the shooters ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context in the original statement is the distinction between mass shooters and school shooters. While the analyses provide information on the race of mass shooters, they do not specifically focus on school shooters. This is a crucial distinction, as school shooters may have different demographic characteristics than mass shooters in general. Additionally, the sources do not provide information on the motivations or circumstances surrounding the shootings, which could be essential in understanding the context of the events. Alternative viewpoints could include examining the role of mental health, social isolation, or access to firearms in contributing to school shootings, rather than solely focusing on the race of the shooters. For example, ^[4] reports on the rising gun violence among young people, particularly among African American children, and how it is driven by homicides rather than suicides, which could provide a different perspective on the issue ^[4].

• The sources primarily focus on the racial demographics of mass shooters, with limited information on school shooters specifically.
• There is a lack of discussion on the potential motivations or circumstances surrounding the shootings.
• Alternative viewpoints, such as the role of mental health or access to firearms, are not fully explored in the provided analyses.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading, as it asks about the number of school shooters who were white, but the provided analyses primarily focus on mass shooters in general. This could lead to an inaccurate assumption that the data on mass shooters is directly applicable to school shooters. The sources that report on the racial demographics of mass shooters, such as ^[1] and ^[2], may be cited to support the claim that a majority of school shooters are white, when in fact, the data is not specific to school shootings ^{[1] [2]}. This could benefit those who seek to emphasize the role of race in school shootings, while potentially overlooking other contributing factors. On the other hand, sources like ^[4], which report on the rising gun violence among young people, particularly among African American children, may be overlooked in the discussion, which could benefit those who seek to downplay the role of race in school shootings ^[4].