Why the number of US mass shootings has risen sharply

By Nadine Yousif

BBC News

California has woken up to news of three mass shootings this week. On Monday, a gunman opened fire at two plant nurseries in Half Moon Bay, killing seven and injuring one person.

A few hours later, another gunman opened fire 41 miles (65km) away at a petrol station in Oakland, injuring seven and killing one person.

Then on Saturday, 11 people who had gathered to dance died on the eve of Lunar New Year in Monterey Park near Los Angeles.

If it feels like these incidents are becoming more frequent in the US, that is because they are.

Different definitions exist for what constitutes a mass shooting, but non-profit the Gun Violence Archive - which counts shootings where four or more people are killed or injured, excluding the gunman - has tracked 40 such incidents in the US since the start of the year.

It is the highest number of mass shootings on record for any January, according to the organisation that publicly tracks gun-related deaths and injuries in the US.