US has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world

Vester Flanangan(Right) shot dead a TV reporter and Cameraman on Live TV

America has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world because of the 'dark side of exceptionalism', a study has claimed.

University of Alabama criminologist Adam Lankford discovered The United States has experienced five times the number of mass shootings in the last 50 years than any other country - and says the 'cultural propensity for violence' is to blame.

There were 291 documented mass shootings in the world between 1966 and 2012, with 90 (31 per cent) occurring in the United States.

The Philippines, with 18 mass shootings between 1966 and 2012, was second, followed by Russia (15), Yemen (11), and France (10).


Lankford outlined several factors that he believes have caused this, including:

• America's high rate of gun ownership

• The idolization of fame among U.S. mass shooters

• And what Lankford calls the 'the dark side of American exceptionalism'

Lankford also believes the failure of the US health care system to treat mental illness is partly to blame, but is not a entirely a factor in itself.