US records 267 mass shootings so far in 2021

More than 260 mass shootings have taken place so far this year in the U.S., with 25 of them occurring in June, according to a nonprofit group that tracks shootings.

The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as when four or more people are shot. The group recorded at least half a dozen shootings between Friday and Saturday alone.

The 267th mass shooting happened Saturday when two men open fire in downtown Austin, leaving 14 people injured. No one died during the shooting, but two are in critical condition at the hospital. 

The shooting happened on the fifth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., when 49 people were killed. The Pulse attack remains one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history.

President Biden said in a statement on the anniversary of the shooting that “there is more we must do to address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms.”

Lawmakers have remained at odds in the aftermath of mass shootings, with many Democrats pushing for a ban on certain types of firearms while Republicans have rejected many efforts to pass stricter laws.

Biden has told the Justice Department to work on a system for states to begin using “red flag” laws and create rules for “ghost guns,” guns assembled at home, to be subject to background checks. 

The mayor of San Jose is proposing gun owners pay an annual fee and be required to carry insurance after nine were killed in his city after a mass shooting at a rail yard late last month.