On December 2, 2025, the Associated Press reported that mass killings in the United States have declined by 44% over the past two years, marking the lowest levels since 2006. Data compiled by Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox showed a 24% decrease in mass killings in 2025 compared to 2024, which itself saw a 20% drop from the year prior.
Despite the substantial decline, the AP and academic sources it cited were quick to downplay the trend. Fox cautioned that a future increase is possible, stating, “Will 2026 see a decline? I wouldn’t bet on it. What goes down must also go back up.”
Similarly, James Densley of Metropolitan State University emphasized the relatively small number of mass killings annually and said, “2025 looks really good in historical context, but we can’t pretend like that means the problem is gone for good.”
While the media acknowledged the declining trend, it also used the opportunity to reintroduce broader gun control arguments. Florida State University’s Emma Fridel claimed that gun deaths each year rival the number of American casualties in the Korean War and repeated a debunked talking point: “The number one cause of death for children is guns.”
That claim has been used frequently by politicians and activists, including President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. However, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, U.S. casualties in the Korean War totaled over 54,000, while the highest annual number of firearm-related deaths in the U.S. was 48,830, per Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Furthermore, the claim that guns are the leading cause of death for children only holds up when 18- and 19-year-olds are included in the definition of “children.” Breitbart News has repeatedly pointed out that this misleading data inflates the narrative to push a political agenda.
The Associated Press report shows that while mass killings are in decline, the media and academic institutions continue to focus on worst-case scenarios and controversial statistics, diverting attention from real progress.
