Mass shootings in the U.S. and Colorado have increased substantially in the decade since 12 people were murdered and another 70 were injured in a shooting at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora on July 20, 2012. 

The shootings have occurred at grocery stores in Boulder and Buffalo, at a concert in Las Vegas, at places of worship, schools and even a navy yard in Washington, D.C.

Mass shootings, defined by the Gun Violence Archives as an event where four or more people are shot or killed, increased 154% from 2014 to 2021.

There has only been a decrease in these events in two of the last nine years across the country and in Colorado.  

Number of mass shootings since 2014:

• 2014: 272 — 2 in Colorado
• 2015: 337 — 3 in Colorado
• 2016: 383 — 4 in Colorado
• 2017: 348 — 2 in Colorado
• 2018: 336 — 8 in Colorado
• 2019: 417 — 4 in Colorado
• 2020: 614 — 11 in Colorado
• 2021: 692 — 13 in Colorado
• 2022: 356 as of Tuesday — 8 in Colorado