How likely is an American to die in a mass shooting? It really depends on which measure you use.
According to Gun Violence Archive (GVA), across 646 mass shootings in 2022, 642 people were killed. That fact alone should already give you some indication of how they count these things – GVA defines mass shootings as any incident where 4 or more are shot, not including the shooter. As a result, their list is mostly gang violence incidents, many of which involved no one being killed, just injuries. According to Excel, the average is .993808 deaths per GVA “mass shooting.”
Anyway, even taking that 642 figure, that means the average American had a 0.19 in 100,000 chance of dying in a mass shooting in 2022. In other words, about 1 in 500,000.
But let’s say you aren’t a gang member, and are more concerned with what people actually mean when they say “mass shooting”. I.e., some lunatic walks into your grocery store, school, movie theater, etc. and begins a rampage. How likely are you to be killed in an incident like that?
The Mother Jones database is an excellent tool for that question. It limits it to incidents (1) where three or more are killed, (2) involved a lone shooter (with some obvious exceptions, like San Bernardino), (3) were carried out in a public place, and (4) gang-related crime is excluded. To be sure, Mother Jones’s measure still isn’t perfect. I do think some incidents where less than three are killed are still mass shootings by the common understanding of such incidents. But Mother Jones’s definition comes close to what most people mean when they say “mass shooting.”
By the Mother Jones definition, 74 people died in mass shootings in 2022. That’s about 0.02 per 100,000. Or roughly one for every five million people.
Mass shootings are tragedies that get massive media attention. But they are a very unlikely way to die, especially if you aren’t involved in criminal activity.
Every year I get together with some college friends to shoot and hog hunt. It is always fun to catch up with them and check out the new gear they have acquired since our last trip. This year, I got to try out a couple of shotguns. A Benelli M4 and a Beretta 1301. These were both a ton of fun and they made me want a compact shotgun of my own.
I didn’t want to drop the type of cash needed to get a Benelli or Beretta, so I searched for cheaper options. I came across the Mossberg Maverick 88 Security and, with a $230 price tag, it seemed like the perfect way to have some scattergun fun without breaking the bank.
Mossberg has many offerings in their Maverick series of shotguns including two security models. One with an 18.5″ barrel and the other with a 20″ barrel. I chose the 20″ option because I prefer its 7-round tubular magazine capacity over the 5-round capacity offered by the 18.5″ model.
The manual of arms does not change much from one pump-action shotgun to another. If you know how one works, you will be able to shoot most of them with just two primary considerations.
First, you need to locate the safety. On the Maverick 88, the cross-bolt safety is located in front of the trigger guard. I prefer a cross-bolt safety to be behind the trigger but it was not hard to get used to this one.
Second, locate the action release. This button is pressed if the action needs to be opened after the action has become locked (when unloading the gun for example). This lever is located behind the trigger guard on the left side. I believe this is the perfect location. Unlike other shotguns that put the action release in front of the trigger guard, you do not have to completely change the grip of your right hand to manipulate it.
The recoil of this 12ga is heavy but manageable. With this gun weighing only 6.5 pounds, I expected it to beat me up a bit more but I was pleasantly surprised. The generous rubber butt pad is probably what helped the most.
This shotgun features dual action bars which are believed to prevent the bolt from binding in the receiver. Plenty of shotguns use only a single action bar without issue but the 88’s action is fairly smooth so there may be something to using two.
I shot a variety of 2 ¾” and 3” ammunition without issue. Birdshot, buckshot, turkey loads, and slugs all ran reliably. It shot well enough that I decided to load up some slugs and use it to fill an antlerless tag.
Even though I’ve made good shots with slugs out to 60 yards at the range, I feel more comfortable with shots under 40 yards in the field. To give myself the best chance at a close shot, I headed to a stand in the middle of thick timber where does will regularly be within 30 yards.
But, before I reached the stand, I spotted a deer in the woods to my left. I froze and crouched down where I stood. I watched as the deer made its way through the thicket moving from my left to right. After only a few moments it cleared the underbrush and saw me crouching completely exposed in the middle of the path only thirty yards away. The deer froze, but it was too late. I had already raised my gun and lined up the shot. The 12ga slug hit hard and dropped the deer where it stood.
A shotgun will not soon replace any of my rifles as my go-to deer gun but it was a rewarding experience to take a deer with a shotgun at least once. If for no other reason than to experience the type of 1970s hunting depicted in my uncle’s stories.
The trigger is a bit heavy at 7 pounds. It has a few millimeters of take-up before hitting a soft wall that gives just a little before it breaks. The reset is relatively short.
The black synthetic stock has a solid feel. This is appreciated especially when many cheap synthetic stocks are on the flimsy side. The stock also features a recess for a screw-in sling stud so one can be easily added if desired.
I can’t speak to the long-term reliability of this gun but my experience up to this point has been nothing but good. It is well-balanced, cycles reliably and, for only $230, the build quality is exceptional. So, If you are looking for a cheap pump-action shotgun, the Maverick 88 Security may be right for you. Head over to Mossberg’s website to learn more and find a dealer near you.
