Graduate student in George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Ms. Rosso is developing research on causal patterns in U.S. mass violence (USMV) in order to develop effective preventative measures that can be incorporated into social structures nationwide, with attention at the grassroots, community level.

Parameters of this research are as follows:

• U.S. Mass Violence is the preferred term for the focus of this research, not mass shootings. Specific definition of this particular strand of violence, which includes shootings, stabbings, automotive attacks, and bombings, is provided below.
• Prevention of new incidents is the objective. While research shows that profiling is an inadequate means of prevention, the theory based on research conducted so far is that there’s enough correlation among incidents to direct us to systemic issues that can be addressed to reduce triggers.
• While they may be mitigating factors in factions of incidents, mental illness, media influence, and gun legislation are not the focus of this research. There are large enough percentages of incidents where these factors are not causal to warrant focusing attention on factors more consistently found across incidents.
• Current research efforts are focusing on systemic quarks, glitches in the social system that cumulatively create a cascade of triggers that eventually drive individuals to commit such extreme acts.

Scholarly, thoughtful feedback and research connections are welcomed.

U.S. Mass Violence (USMV) Defined:

Incidents in which the intended consequence was large scale (4 or more) harm or destruction to human lives randomly or semi-randomly, not isolated to a single family or specific and limited personal relations, regardless of the number of actual deaths. Violent attack perpetrated by a non-terrorist, non-gang member, non-group-organized individual or individuals (less than 4) in a space occupied by multiple numbers of citizens, where there is a great risk of “bystanders” being injured, intentionally or not, as a result of the violence. An attack by individual(s) on a sector of society. Points of individual violent conflict with society.