Critical Mass: Understanding and Fixing the Social Roots of Mass Shootings in the United States - Paperback

by Dinur Blum (Author), Christian Gonzalez Jaworski (Author)

This book examines social patterns in 2,000 mass shootings in the United States between 2013 through 2020. While mass shootings are often described as psychological, the authors show that there are social factors that produce the anger needed to commit a mass shooting. These factors are fairly common and can be addressed to stem the anger earlier. The factors include chronic poverty, sudden unemployment, relationship problems, domestic violence, social isolation, and alcohol. Common social strains can metastasize and be lethally dangerous. By understanding the social factors, we can reduce the anger and frustration people feel that would drive them to killing others.

Author Biography

Dinur Blum is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at California State University, Los Angeles. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Riverside. In addition to the social causes of mass shootings, he has published School, Sports, or Sleep: Student-Athletes and the College Dilemma, exploring obstacles student-athletes face to help them in school. He has also co-authored and published with Dr. Adam G. Sanford and Dr. Stacy L. Smith on the sociology of the COVID-19 pandemic, edited by J. Michael Ryan. Dinur co-hosts the Learning Made Easier podcast with Dr. Adam G. Sanford, offering effective learning and teaching techniques. He has been interviewed by various news outlets as an expert on mass shootings.

Christian Gonzalez Jaworski is a researcher and a writer. His research interests are crime, drug addiction, opiates, and rural sociology. He and Dinur have researched mass shootings since 2012. Christian has taught at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. He lives in New England with his wife.