The tragic incident that unfolded at a private Christian school in Wisconsin on Monday, resulting in the fatal shooting of a student and a teacher, left the nation reeling with shock. The suspect, identified as Natalie Rupnow, took her own life during the rampage at just 15 years old, which added to the surprise as mass shootings carried out by females are exceedingly rare.
According to an analysis by NBC News of Gun Violence Archive data, out of over 2,000 mass shootings since 2013 where the perpetrator’s gender was known, fewer than 60 involved female assailants. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an event where four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter. It’s important to note that mass shootings are not limited to active shooter incidents in public places like schools, but also encompass domestic and drive-by attacks.
Instances of female perpetrators in mass shootings have been historically uncommon. For example, in 2006, a 44-year-old postal worker named Jennifer Sanmarco fatally shot seven people before taking her own life at a Santa Barbara postal facility. Despite her documented mental health issues, she was able to purchase a handgun with ease following a routine background check.
Cherie Lash Rhoades, a former tribal chairwoman, was another female perpetrator who committed a mass shooting. In 2014, she opened fire at the Cedarville Rancheria Tribal Office in Northern California, killing four people and injuring two others. She was subsequently sentenced to death.
Snochia Moseley, a 26-year-old Rite Aid distribution center worker, killed three individuals and wounded three more at her workplace in Maryland before ending her own life in 2018. She legally owned the handgun used in the shooting despite a history of mental illness.
Audrey Hale, 28, carried out a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, resulting in the deaths of six people, including three children, before being shot by police. Hale, who identified as transgender, was fatally wounded during the incident in 2019.
These examples underscore the rarity of female perpetrators in mass shootings, a trend that women’s rights activists attribute to the prevalence of men as perpetrators in such violent acts. Mass shootings have been characterized as a “profoundly masculine act,” with statistics demonstrating that women are often victims of violent crimes in the U.S.
The study found that mass shootings were connected to a larger pattern of domestic violence and entrenched misogyny. According to the study, even in cases involving neighbors, strangers, and law enforcement, women and children disproportionately bear the brunt of the violence. The study referenced data from the advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety, which revealed that in 57% of mass shootings linked to intimate partners or other family members, 64% of the victims were women and children.
