NEW YORK — If there’s one silver lining in the tumultuous year of 2020, it’s this: The number of mass shootings that happened in public was the lowest in more than a decade.
Experts who research mass killings say there are two key reasons for the sharp drop-off.
For one, most people avoided going out in public during the coronavirus pandemic.
That meant there were fewer opportunities for slayings in workplaces or schools.
For another, Americans were so focused on other tragedies that would-be gunmen were less likely to consider carrying out attacks.
A database compiled by news organizations shows just two public mass shootings this year.
Both happened before lockdowns took hold.
