After a gunman killed forty-nine people in Orlando, Florida, Jen Christensen wrote an article for CNN (June 12, 2016). According to Christensen, the United States has five percent of the world’s population, while about thirty-one percent of the mass shootings occur in the U.S.

No one reason appears a motive for a mass killing. Mental illness is sometimes involved. Terrorism is a motive at other times. Racial hatred also has been a factor. The shooting in Orlando took place in a gay bar, and the gunman is reported to have expressed anti gay feelings.

Christensen listed several differences between U.S. shootings and others worldwide. In the U.S., they more frequently happen at work or school, versus near military installations in other places.

The U.S. shooter is more likely to have more than one firearm, but the global shooter usually has only one.

Of course, with news focused on mass events, we forget how many people are killed in less publicized shootings. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2013, deaths from firearms in the United States stood at 33,636.