Police have identified a 15-year-old girl as the shooter in the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin this week. According to data from the FBI, she is in the minority. In their report Active Shooter Incidents 20 Year Review, 2000-2019 the FBI found that of the 345 active shooter incidents they recorded, in 332 of the cases, the shooter was male. The shooter was female in only 2.3% of shootings. The FBI defines an active shooter as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area."
A number of factors are noted for the gender discrepancy in shooting incidents. Some experts say male shooters can identify more with historical precedents and others point to the psychology behind different motivations.
The reason for the school shooting in Wisconsin is still unknown. In a statement on Monday night, President Biden said, “We can never accept senseless violence that traumatises children, their families, and tears entire communities apart."
