The list was released the same day mourners gathered across the country to remember the lives of those killed in last weekend's mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
The list was released the same day mourners gathered across the country to remember the lives of those killed in last weekend's mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
The Washington Post has made a powerful statement about mass shootings in the United States by printing the names of every victim killed by such acts since 1966.
"Eleven hundred ninety-six," the newspaper tweeted with an image of the list. "That's the number of names on this page. People whowere doing ordinary things until they were shot to death by killers bent on mass fatalities."
The list spanned 12 pages of the newspaper's Sunday print edition, and was published just one week after two back-to-back mass shootings left more than 30 people dead, and dozens more wounded.
Eleven hundred ninety-six.
That’s the number of names on this page. People who were doing ordinary things until they were shot to death by killers bent on mass fatalities.
In today’s Washington Post, a special 12-page print section lists every mass shooting victim since 1966. pic.twitter.com/kgXDJq8bMY
"The places change, the numbers change, but the choice of weapon remains the same. In the United States, people who want to kill a lot of other people most often do it with guns," the accompanying article says.
"The people who were killed came from nearly every imaginable race, religion and socio-economic background. Their ages range from the unborn to the elderly; 190 were children and teenagers. In addition, thousands of survivors were left with devastating injuries, shattered families and psychological scars."
Of the 316 guns used across these mass shootings, at least 178 were obtained legally and 59 were obtained illegally. It's unclear how the remaining 79 were acquired.
Of the 169 shooters, all but three were male, and the vast majority were aged between 20 and 49.
The list was released the same day mourners gathered across the country to remember the lives of those killed in last weekend's mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
President Donald Trump is now grappling with steps Congress might take to tackle gun violence, including expanding background checks to virtually all people buying weapons, including purchases at gun shows.
But it also follows Mr Trump's repeated assertions that mental health issues and hate, not guns, are the main drivers of the deadly violence, and his talks with leaders of the National Rifle Association, which is opposed to expanding background checks.
Meanwhile, Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls have made proposals ranging from firearm licensing to reimposing an assault weapons ban.
Family and friends gather for a funeral service for Jordan Anchondo at Evergreen Cemetery in El Paso, Texas. Photo / AP
Speaking at an Iowa gun safety forum on Saturday, the candidates spoke largely in harmony on the issue that has seen little action at the federal level despite huge tolls from gun use, including nearly 40,000 deaths in 2017.
Frontrunner and former vice president Joe Biden and other candidates like senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders converged on the daylong event in the state that votes first to determine which Democrat will challenge Mr Trump in 2020.
From left, Melody Stout, Hannah Payan, Aaliyah Alba, Sherie Gramlich and Laura Barrios comfort each other during a vigil for victims of the shooting in El Paso, Texas. Photo / AP
Democrats came to the forum armed with various plans aimed at ultimately reducing the carnage that is a uniquely American problem within the world's leading economies.
Several demanded that the Senate vote on the House-cleared measure expanding background checks, as well as one that codifies so-called red flag laws which allow authorities to confiscate weapons from people believed to present risks to themselves or others.
Ms Warren told the crowd of activists and gun violence survivors that she believed the sorrow and anger following recent shootings can give way to meaningful action.
"We are going to make change, we are going to pass gun safety laws in this country," said Ms Warren, who released a gun violence reduction plan earlier on Saturday.
She stressed that one of her first actions as president would be "breaking the stranglehold of the gun industry and the NRA" in order to help achieve her goal of an 80 per cent reduction in the number of US gun deaths.
As the Democratic candidates crisscrossed Iowa in recent days, several took up the cause of gun safety, advocating for dramatic steps like reimposing an assault weapons ban that became law 25 years ago, only to sunset a decade later.
"I did that in 1994," Biden told the crowd, referring to his vote to pass the ban while he was a US senator. "We can do that again." Biden advocated the increased use of biometrics, saying as president he would seek a law requiring manufacturers to begin using technology like fingerprint-activated smart guns.
And he joined other candidates like senators Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand in demanding that a law immunising manufacturers from civil court cases be rescinded.
Candidate and former housing secretary Julian Castro called for requiring licenses to own firearms, as well as imposing seven-day waiting periods for gun purchases and restricting large-capacity magazines.
There were at least 15 candidates at the event, not including El Paso native Beto O'Rourke who was in his hometown but sent a video message to the group.
