U.S. sees worst weekend of 2023 over gun violence: USA Today

NEW YORK, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- There were 10 mass shootings from Feb. 17 through Feb. 19, the most of any weekend so far this year in the United States, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

That's considering all shootings from Friday to Sunday in which four or more people were shot, not including the shooter or shooters, reported USA Today on Monday.

The number of shootings over the weekend is unusual for mid-February in the country, which came on the heels of several high-profile mass shootings in California last month, as well as an attack at Michigan State University last week.

Mark Bryant, executive director of the Gun Violence Archive, said 10 mass shootings in a single weekend is "certainly high for this time of year." Research suggests gun violence in the United States typically increases during the warmer months.

Mass shootings in 2022 reached their peak in mid-July, when the United States witnessed 15 mass shootings over a regular weekend, according to Gun Violence Archive data. Over the long July Fourth weekend (Friday through Monday), there were 20.