Not one mention that most of these places are (supposedly) ‘gun free zones


Where do most active shooter events occur?

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Whether Monday’s shooting at a Boise Mall constitutes a mass shooting depends on what metric is in use. However, according to available FBI data, most active shootings occur in certain places.

According to this data, from 2000 to 2019, Idaho had three active shooter events. There were 333 incidents over the time period in the United States. Some places tend to be victims of these tragedies more than others.

“We’ve all been sitting here reading about it every day in the paper, or watching it every night on the news, but it has always been somewhere else, and now all of a sudden it’s in our backyard and it horrifies us; as it should,” said Twin Falls County Sheriff Tom Carter.

The Director of Strategic Planning and Training at Campus Safety Alliance, Morgan Ballis, is well versed in active shooter situations. He is aware of says FBI data showing places of commerce are the most common for active shooters.

“When my mom survived the attack at Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tucson, she was just going to the store,” said Ballis.

Schools are the second most popular.

“Typically what we see is that the assailant had some sort of connection to that site,” he said. “Schools, overwhelming majority are current or prior students, places of business or former employees, at times we see a romantic connection to that site.”

Currently, law enforcement is investigating why this event occurred. With all the media coverage of the event, Ballis understands the weight of consuming all the information.

“So it’s kind of striking that balance between how do I prepare myself and my family for this very rare occasion without getting to the point where know it’s all I think about, I’m becoming hyper-focused and hyper-vigilant for something that is statistically not likely to happen,” said Ballis.