# Americans - are you afraid of spree killers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876 "2015-06-18T18:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/41 "2015-06-19T00:01:00Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > There is a nonzero chance that I will die at the hands of a spree killer, so I don’t like to say _no concern at all_. So, I put 1. While I agree with the first part, I figure it is so vanishingly rare of a threat it approaches zero, so I put zero. I have never at any time in my life _actually_ worried about being the victim of a spree killing. Joked a bit about a couple of less stable ex-co-workers, but not to the point of actual worry ;). ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/42 "2015-06-19T00:04:30Z")
About the same as I fear being ‘the Yankee’ in an international hostage situation, where I’d be the first one whose throat was slashed. So, you know, it sucks, but leaving the country isn’t going to help. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/43 "2015-06-19T00:10:38Z")
To put things in perspective, [lots of people claim that the chances of winning a large lottery prize (over $1 million) are so unlikely that they should be considered impossible from an individual point of view](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/10/your-money/win-a-lottery-jackpot-not-much-chance-of-that.html). However, dozens or hundreds of people in the U.S. (the total number is surprisingly hard to find because of all the different state and multi-state lotteries) really do win even year. That is still far fewer than the number of people killed by spree killers even in a bad year. Therefore, you should spend no more and probably much less time worrying about getting targeted by a spree killer than you do worrying about how to allocate your potential lottery winnings. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/44 "2015-06-19T00:17:49Z")
Eh. I voted 1. Should be more like .01. I didn’t vote zero because I do have a loaded gun in the house. I live in the sticks, and any protection from a nut case falls on me. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/45 "2015-06-19T00:21:59Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Eh. I voted 1. Should be more like .01. I didn’t vote zero because I do have a loaded gun in the house. I live in the sticks, and any protection from a nut case falls on me. Any protection from a nut case falls on you wherever you live. Police come to mop up. They can’t protect you from nut cases. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/46 "2015-06-19T00:40:57Z")
It does cross my mind, because I live in DC and this place can attract wackos. But it’s a big city and it’s unlikely for any given event to affect me. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/47 "2015-06-19T00:42:48Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Any protection from a nut case falls on you wherever you live. Police come to mop up. They can’t protect you from nut cases. That’s very true. However, if a nut case gives you grief in a crowded situation, you MAY be able to just walk away. Others can call 911 and you MAY get help in a few minutes. When help is 30 minutes away, well… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/48 "2015-06-19T00:55:06Z")
No, not at all. And I grew near where the Newtown, CT shootings happened and had my office in the World Financial Center destroyed on 9/11 when the Trade Center collapsed. But I assume I’m going to die in a shooting spree or terrorist attack about as much as I assume I’m going to get hit by a lightning bolt when I see a thunderstorm. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/49 "2015-06-19T00:59:06Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Americans - are you afraid of spree killers? Why? Am I supposed to be? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/50 "2015-06-19T01:11:06Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I would also like to point out Charlie Hebdo did not happen in the US. Exactly. Neither did the 2011 attacks in Norway. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/51 "2015-06-19T01:20:49Z")
Zero. My only fear is it will give the gun-grabbers another excuse to assault my 2nd Amendment rights. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/52 "2015-06-19T01:24:54Z")
1. Not even a little bit. If random death comes for me, it comes for me. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/53 "2015-06-19T01:32:10Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > OTOH, I just got into a heated discussion with some women regarding a 15-year old flying alone on an airplane (with adults assisting at both ends of the flight). When I said that I had flown to Paris by myself when I was 15, they said that it’s much more dangerous now. Pointing out that crime was much higher in the 1970’s when I was 15 had absolutely no impact. People do find facts inconvenient. I wandered through Germany and England in the late 1980s when I was 17, by myself. This was before cell phones, before IMs, before texting, before ATMs. And IIRC, the IRA was still a real concern in London. I think I checked in with my parents twice in a month. In the interim, my parents had no idea what I was doing or with whom. If anything really awful happened, I knew to head to the US Embassy, but beyond that, I was left to my own good sense. And let’s not talk about what \*\*\*really \*\*\*went on during that week some of my high school class went to New York City when I was 15 That was back when you could buy liquor if you looked college-aged. No one asked any questions. And we really did have a lot of unsupervised time between cultural excursions. My most vivid memory of the trip involves drinking quite a lot of purple Jesus with a very cute, curly-haired Canadian guy. People are really paranoid about stuff now. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/54 "2015-06-19T01:35:31Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Dammit, now I’ll be worrying about that when I’m in my recliner watching TV. A pox upon thee!! 😛 In the interest of full disclosure, we were almost hit and our neighbor was lightly hit by a car. But with our porches and how the houses are situated (close to the road but slightly above) nothing short of a cement truck is going to get my attention. Especially if its Swamp People or Deadliest Catch on the TV. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/55 "2015-06-19T01:39:51Z")
I am more concerned about politicians who see a spree killing as an opportunity than I am about a spree killing itself. Nineteen men managed to kill 3,000 people between them, but it took the government to turn around and use that as an excuse to kill 100,000 more. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_Cello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Clark\_Cello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_Cello)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/56 "2015-06-19T02:00:52Z")
> [@CinnamonBabka](#): > > Well lets see… > Using the data [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year) we see the most recent data showing 1.11 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled per year. Between driving and riding, a high-ball estimate would say I drive 10 kMiles per year. That puts me at a .01% chance of dying in a car accident in any given year. So that’s a 5 on your scale. > > I’m going to assume a 10 is a 100% certainty of death, 0 is 0% , and that your rating system is on an logarithmic scale. Regressing the three data points I have, I get an equation where 0\_TO\_10\_FEAR\_OF\_DEATH = 0.3178ln(PROBABILITY\_OF\_DEATH\_PER\_YEAR) + 9.1359 > > A high number of people killed in US mass shootings per year would be 50. Since I don’t have any data showing how my lifestyle would raise/lower my probability of being killed in a mass shooting, I can only assume my odds of being killed in a mass shooting are 50/US\_POP, or .0000157%. > > Plugging that into my equation, I get 4.16. Since round numbers are nice, my answer will be 4. Why would you use a logarithmic scale for this? This doesn’t seem to me to be useful for this type of situation. I haven’t run the calculations, but I would think that using your methodology pretty much anything would fall between 4 and 6, which doesn’t seem to produce very meaningful results. ---
**Author:** ![ppc1492](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@ppc1492](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ppc1492)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/57 "2015-06-19T02:02:49Z")
I put a 2, though I don’t really think about it everyday, it’s still a presence. I lived in the DC area during the beltway sniper thing and throughout elementary and middle school we had (sometimes twice) monthly ‘gunman drills,’ where the whole school would turn out the lights, lock the doors, and then each class would crowd into a corner and be really quiet. We did this about as often as fire drills. I’m not sure if it’s like that in other places, it seemed normal at the time, but now that I think back on it, it’s kind of scary. So while these sort of shootings are statistically anomalous, they aren’t so rare as to prompt the huge outcry that the Charlie Hebdo shooting did in France (although I would say the mobilization surrounding Charlie Hebdo was not just influenced by the relative prevalence of gun violence in France). Despite the fact that it is near impossible to be a mass-shooting victim on an individual level, that doesn’t mean that it is negligible. Perhaps we all should be more scared/angry, even if it is numerically irrational, so we can then use this energy to actually do something meaningful about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/58 "2015-06-19T03:21:37Z")
> [@ppc1492](#): > > Despite the fact that it is near impossible to be a mass-shooting victim on an individual level, that doesn’t mean that it is negligible. Perhaps we all should be more scared/angry, even if it is numerically irrational, so we can then use this energy to actually do something meaningful about it. You have to be extremely careful about ‘doing something’ when it comes to almost infinitesimal statistical artifacts. 9/11 was so terrible that many people stopped flying for a year or more. The deaths from the inevitable car accidents killed many times more people than were in the planes that day. > **[September 11's indirect toll: road deaths linked to fearful flyers](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/05/september-11-road-deaths)** > > German professor estimates an extra 1,595 Americans died in car accidents in year after September 11 attacks ---
**Author:** ![ppc1492](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@ppc1492](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ppc1492)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/59 "2015-06-19T04:42:55Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You have to be extremely careful about ‘doing something’ when it comes to almost infinitesimal statistical artifacts. 9/11 was so terrible that many people stopped flying for a year or more. The deaths from the inevitable car accidents killed many times more people than were in the planes that day. > > [September 11's indirect toll: road deaths linked to fearful flyers | US news | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/05/september-11-road-deaths) That article had a really interesting quote: “We have an evolutionary tendency to fear situations in which many people die at one time. This is likely a hold-over from when we lived in small groups, where the death of a small part of the group could place the lives of everyone else in jeopardy.” I’ve never thought about it that way before… but anyway I think 9/11 was a pivotal event whose singularity changed American culture. Meanwhile shootings are practically part of American culture, and that’s the part that requires changing. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876/60 "2015-06-19T11:03:02Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Why? Am I supposed to be? By no means, was just wondering if people were afraid of this fate befalling them and if so, to what extent. > [@Kimballkid](#): > > I would have to put zero as Charleston was not a [spree killing](https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Spree_killer). :smack: Hopefully you take my meaning as the poll title, meaning a mass shooter. > [@lieu](#): > > One of my childhood friends was killed in Aurora. Despite that, my concern about encountering a similar situation is about a 1. If it happens near my car I do reserve the option to throw some lead back. Sorry to hear that. On throwing lead back, I did contemplate putting a “-1, lunatics with a gun should be afraid of _me_”, but thought it might be seen as making light of the situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-are-you-afraid-of-spree-killers/722876.md?page=4)