The deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday has drawn attention not only because of the tragedy it caused but also due to the rare nature of female mass shooters. Fifteen-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow opened fire at the school, killing a substitute teacher and a student before turning the gun on herself. The attack left five others injured, two of whom remain in critical condition.
Rupnow’s actions are part of an alarming but rare trend. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), between 2000 and 2019, only 3.7% of active shooter incidents were committed by women. Similarly, a Justice Department report on mass shootings, defined as incidents with four or more victims, shows that women were responsible for just 2.3% of such attacks from 1966 to 2019.
In fact, in the last 25 years, only four out of 200 mass shootings involved female perpetrators, according to the Violence Prevention Project. The rarity of female mass shooters becomes even starker when examining school shootings. Since 1999, only nine female students have committed such acts, an analysis by the Washington Post revealed.
While female mass shooters are few, their motivations and behavior are often distinct from their male counterparts. Experts suggest that women tend to be less driven by personal grievances and more likely to engage in ideologically motivated attacks or collaborate in teams, reported the New York Post. However, in Rupnow’s case, authorities have found troubling signs of obsession with previous school shooters, including the Columbine tragedy.
Rupnow’s social media activity and images posted on her X account showed her idolizing notorious figures like Eric Harris of Columbine and even referencing other violent incidents, including the Parkland and Jokela school shootings. Such influences have led experts to speculate that female perpetrators, while rare, may be inspired by male-dominated narratives of school violence.
Jillian Peterson, founder of the Violence Prevention Project, commented on the role of copycat behavior in school shootings. “Many school shooters study Columbine,” Peterson told NPR. “It’s not surprising to see patterns of influence from past incidents.”
As the investigation continues, the case of Natalie Rupnow serves as a stark reminder of how rare but profoundly impactful female mass shooters can be. The tragedy challenges prevailing assumptions about the gender of those who engage in such violence, offering a critical opportunity to further study and prevent future incidents.