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Soft Targets and Crowded Places (ST-CP)
Mass Shooting Prevention and Research Library (MSPRL)
Mass Attacks
Mass shootings, both nationally and internationally, may be making a slight evolvement to increased mass attacks.
Mass attacks, also known as mass violence incidents, are attacks not unlike mass shootings where an individual or group threatens to harm or intentionally harms people and/or property in a public or semi-public place, often a soft target and crowded place.
These mass attacks may include the use of the following:
—Flamethrowers
—Knives
—Explosives (Often Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
—Vehicles (Intentional Vehicular Assaults (IVAs) – Vehicle as a Weapon (VAW) Attacks – Vehicle Ramming
Mass attacks are by no means new. They have occurred throughout modern history and likely before. There have also been some rather novel mass attacks like the Killdozer.
However, as noted, mass attacks are trending higher. We don’t know why. The possibilities are many. Is it better and faster law enforcement response and/or armed civilian intervention and/or stronger and more enforced gun laws and/or whatever that seems to be causing what otherwise would have been a mass shooter being a mass attacker?
A of late mass attack (knife) occurred on Saturday, July 27, 2025, at a Walmart, in Traverse City, Michigan, which is the largest city in Northern Michigan, with a population of 15,678 at the 2020 census.
Soft Targets and Crowded Places (ST-CP), the Mass Shooting Prevention and Research Library (MSPRL) is currently analyzing volumes of data to determine the degree to which mass attacks may be eclipsing mass shootings. As always, the definition (or lack thereof) of a mass shooting significantly hinders relative comparisons, however, we have some degree of confidence that a seismic shift may be afoot, although it could disappear or reverse itself as quickly as it has appeared. Stay tuned.