Exaggerated data about mass shootings, like CU’s 1 in 15 study, dishonors victims like my daughter (Opinion)

My daughter, Meadow, was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. I’ve spent every day since trying to make sure no other parent has to endure what I did. That’s why I’m speaking out now — because the way we talk about mass shootings in this country is broken. The media keeps getting the facts wrong, and worse, they keep ignoring the real causes of these tragedies.

A recent headline from the University of Colorado boldly claims that 1 in 15 U.S. adults have “been at the scene of a mass shooting.” That means 18 million Americans have witnessed a mass shooting firsthand and 5.6 million “injured” — absurd claims that don’t pass the smell test. But unfortunately, these kinds of statistics are being repeated without question by people who want to push a narrative, not the truth.

The academic paper begins by defining a mass shooting as an incident where four or more people are shot, but it never actually asks respondents about that specific scenario. Instead, it asks whether they’ve ever been “physically present on the scene of a mass shooting in your lifetime,” without explaining what that means. Based on this vague framing, the survey could count someone who merely hears distant gunshots in a rough area as a “mass shooting survivor.”

That’s not research. It’s fear-mongering disguised as data.

As the Crime Prevention Research Center points out, even taking numbers put together by a gun control group the University of Colorado academics cite, shows that victims and criminals were wounded at a rate of at most 1.56% of the 5.6 million victims claimed in this study.

The truth is this: dangerous, threatening people commit mass shootings. Not law-abiding Americans. And almost every time, the killers give off warning signs long before they act. In the case of my daughter’s murderer, he was known to police, school officials, and even the FBI. He had a history of violence and made repeated threats. But no one acted.

And here’s another fact the media doesn’t like to talk about: mass shootings overwhelmingly happen in gun-free zones. Schools, churches, shopping centers — places where people are legally disarmed and vulnerable. Criminals don’t care about signs that say, “no guns allowed.” They pick soft targets on purpose because they know they won’t be stopped.

We saw this in Uvalde, in Nashville, in Parkland. Time after time, the shooter had a clear path because no one was armed and ready to respond. The idea that we’re protecting our kids by keeping schools gun-free is not only naive –it’s deadly.

Twenty states allow teachers to carry concealed handguns. In Utah and New Hampshire, any teacher with a concealed handgun permit can carry. In other states, it is up to school boards or superintendents to decide. And there have been no attacks where anyone has been killed or injured at any of those schools with armed teacher.

Let me be clear: mass shootings are not an epidemic. They are horrific, heartbreaking events, but they are statistically rare. That doesn’t make them any less tragic. But it does mean our response should be based on facts, not fear. And the facts tell us that we don’t have a gun problem — we have a people problem.

It’s time we stop letting bad data and political agendas dictate our national conversation about gun violence. Let’s stop pretending that the average gun owner is the problem. Let’s stop chasing “solutions” that only make headlines. And let’s start focusing on the real root causes — violent, disturbed individuals who should never have the chance to carry out their threats.

If we’re serious about protecting our kids, we need to get the facts straight. We need to hold dangerous people accountable and stop pretending that disarming good people will somehow stop evil ones. That’s the path to real change. And that’s how we honor the lives that have been lost — including my daughter, Meadow.

Andrew Pollack’s 18-year-old daughter was murdered in the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. He is a strategic advisor for XSPONSE, a tech company enhancing rapid response, communication, and safety to save lives.

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