Yes they were.

The worst school massacre in American history happened in 1927. It involved a single actor using explosives and firearms. He killed 44 and injured 58 more at a school in Bath, Michigan.

Ever hear of Paul Orgeron? He blew up an elementary school in Houston, TX in 1959.

How about Anthony Barbaro, who shot 17 at his high school in 1974.

What about Brenda Spencer? She shot 11 people at a San Diego elementary school in 1979.

Charles Whitman shot 47 people at Texas in 1966.

These are just a handful involving large numbers of victims but there are tons more school shootings that involved only a victim or two.

Here's a pretty good overview of the history of school violence on an education website. You'll note they point out that shootings peaked in the late 1990s - or in other words they were at their highest about 20 years ago.

Examples outside of schools are even more common.

Luby's resturant is the worst rampage killing in US history. That happened in 1991. I'm friends with an EMT that responded to this one.

This guy went on a walk through his neighborhood in 1949 and shot 16.

Of the 10 deadliest rampage killings in US history, 7 happened over 20 years ago.

FEELINGS fueled by the availability of instant information are telling you things are terrible. FACTS are saying something entirely different.

This post was edited on 8/27/15 at 11:28 am