Mass Shootings in Texas

In 13 years, Texas has had eight mass shootings. The oldest shootings happened at Fort Hood in 2009 & 2014, the first one killing 13 and injuring 31. The shooter opened fire at the army base due to Islamic extremism. The second one killed three people at the base and injured 12, this one was caused by “behavior and mental health” (Milley) issues. This was classified as a mass shooting because the Government revised the requirements to only three deaths in 2013. The next to happen was in 2016 in Dallas at a Black Lives Matter Protest. The gunman killed 5 police, injured 9 others and 2 civilians as well. At the time, President Barack Obama and the mayor of Dallas had said that the “new open carry law added to the confusion at the chaotic scene as police had to consider whether people legally carrying guns might be threats” (Cai). The next mass shooting was the largest of the eight at the Sutherland Springs Church which killed 26 people and injured 20 more. This attack happened because the Air Force failed to report the gunman's past domestic violence issues and he was allowed to purchase the gun. The next classified mass shooting was a school shooting by a 17 year old student who took his fathers gun to school. He killed 10 in the Santa Fe High School and injured 13 more, even with “an active shooter plan and two armed police officers” (Cai). In August 2019, there were two mass shootings in Texas. The first happened on the 3rd of the month at a Walmart in El Paso leaving 23 dead and 26 injured. This attack was believed to be racially motivated as the gunman posted racist hate speech before the shooting. The next attack was at the end of the month, when a 36-year-old shooter went on a shooting rampage killing 7 and injuring 27. A family friend had told the news that the gunman had “a long history of mental problems and making racist comments,” (Cai) yet he was still able to access a gun. The most recent mass shooting is another school shooting that killed 21 and injured 17. The Robb Elementary school shooting sparked outrage across Texas, and the country when news was released of police officers waiting over an hour before taking action. The mass shootings that have occurred over the years in Texas can be prevented in the future with stricter gun laws, access to mental health help, and the downfall of extremism.

Timeline of mass shootings in Texas 2009-2022 with killed and injured statistics.