About 1 in 15 U.S. adults has been on scene at a mass shooting, a new University of Colorado Boulder study published in JAMA Network Open reveals. Why it matters: The study underscores the pervasiveness of gun violence in the U.

A startling number of Americans have witnessed a mass shooting in their lifetime, a new study suggests.About 1 in 15

The group defined “mass shooting” as a gun-related crime where four or more people were shot in a public space.

In America, mass shootings dominate headlines, framed by statistics and brief moments of “thoughts and prayers”. Yet behind the numbers lies an even more unsettling reality: nearly 7% of U.S. adults have been directly exposed to a mass shooting.

Overall, 6.95 percent of U.S. adults report being present at the scene of a mass shooting, and 2.18 percent sustained physical injuries during these incidences, according to a study published online March 7 in JAMA Network Open.