Violent acts in houses of worship are rare but deadly - here's what the data shows

"On Sept. 28, 2025, at least four people were killed and eight others injured during a Sunday service at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Just a month earlier, two people died and 21 were injured during a Mass for students at the Catholic Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. These tragedies may feel sudden and senseless, but they are part of a longer pattern that we have been tracking."

"From 2000 to 2024, the dataset records 379 incidents and 487 deaths at religious congregations and religious community centers. Most involved a single victim, but some - like the recent shootings in Michigan and Minnesota - killed or injured many people. About 7 in 10 incidents involved firearms, accounting for three-quarters of the deaths. Firearm cases averaged about 1.4 deaths each, compared with 1.1 for nonfirearm cases."

"Handguns were the most common weapon, linked to more than 100 incidents and 147 deaths. But semiautomatic rifles, though used in only seven cases, killed 46 people - more than six per attack, on average. The deadliest year was 2017, when 47 people were killed at places of worship, 42 of them with firearms. Twenty-six of those people were killed in a single catastrophic shooting at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas."

A database of homicides at U.S. houses of worship from 2000 to 2024 records 379 incidents and 487 deaths. Most incidents involved a single victim, though some events killed or injured many people. About seven in ten incidents involved firearms, which accounted for three-quarters of all deaths. Firearm incidents averaged about 1.4 deaths versus 1.1 for nonfirearm incidents. Handguns were linked to more than 100 incidents and 147 deaths. Semiautomatic rifles were used in seven cases but caused 46 deaths, averaging over six deaths per attack. The deadliest year was 2017, with 47 killed.

Read at The Conversation