There were nine mass shootings across the U.S. over the weekend, bringing the total to more than 400 this year, according to a website that tracks gun deaths and injuries.
Nine mass shootings resulted in at least four deaths and 35 injuries through Sunday, according to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four victims, including the shooter, are injured or killed.
The website has recorded 404 mass shootings since the beginning of 2023 through Sunday, which left at least 453 people dead, according to the data, which is collected or verified daily from 7,500 sources, Xinhua news agency reported.
161 of those killed were children under the age of 12, and nearly 400 children have been injured in mass shootings so far this year, according to anti-gun groups.
The number of mass shootings was 9 percent higher than the previous year.
As of July 23, 2022, there have been 365 mass shootings, with 647 mass shootings nationwide that year.
The increase confirmed the growing trend of mass shootings in the US.
In 2016, 383 mass shootings were reported in the country.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, mass shootings have exceeded 600 in the last three years, and 2021 will register the highest number — 690.