Thankfully, no one died in the recent mass shooting in Toledo, Ohio. All it did was force the cancellation of the second day of the annual West End Festival, damage people’s sense of safety at summer family-oriented events and traumatize all who witnessed it – especially the 12 people wounded.
Cellphone videos show the fear and chaos the gunfire created. Some people hit the ground. Many ran, seeking safety from flying bullets. All those involved will need time to process the trauma they endured but they’ll never be the same. Just like all the others who have survived a mass shooting.
Research shows one in fifteen U.S. adults (about 7%) has witnessed a mass shooting, which is defined as four or more people shot. Younger adults are more likely to have been exposed to such violence, perhaps because schools are second only to workplaces in occurrence. Perpetrators are almost always men (94.8%), of whom more than half are white. Handguns are the most commonly used weapon (74%). So far in 2026, there have been 225 mass shootings, killing 267 people and wounding 868…