Lee Discusses Role of Social Capital In Preventing Mass Public Shootings

WASHINGTON—Today, Ranking Member Mike Lee (R-UT) released a Joint Economic Committee report highlighting the role of social capital in preventing mass public shootings. 

The report finds that individuals who commit mass public shootings tend to be disconnected from their communities, disconnected from work, and suffer trauma during childhood.  

The report finds that 72 percent of mass shooters are suicidal either immediately before the attack or intended to die as part of the attack. Almost all of the increase in mass public shootings since 1990 is explained by increased suicidality among shooters, indicating that many of the same forces driving increased suicides may also be driving mass shootings.

Lee said, "The breakdown of social capital is driving much of America's violence epidemic today. Our findings suggest that loving families and attentive communities can reduce the likelihood that a person engages in violence. Confronting the underlying social causes of mass public shootings must play a role in our efforts to keep American communities safe and prosperous." 

Read the report here.

The Joint Economic Committee is Congress's bicameral economic research center and home of the Social Capital Project, led by Ranking Member Mike Lee.