In 2018, the U.S. maintains its record with the most deaths due to gun-related violence in the world. This year continues with the tragic statistic of there being almost as many mass-shooting incidents as there have been days in 2018.

At last count, with 335 days into 2018 the U.S. has seen 324 recorded cases of mass shootings. There is no clear definition of what constitutes a mass shooting except for the number of casualties. Both Gun Violence Archive and a Congressional research paper take four or more deaths in a gun-shooting related incident as a case of mass shooting.

Here are the worst incidents of mass shooting that the U.S. witnessed in 2018.

Parkland, Florida: The year got off to a bloody start. In February of this year, the affluent community of Parkland in Florida saw a former student shoot down 17 people in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The victims included 13 students and four staff including a sports coach and injured 17 others.

The Parkland shooting is the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history, surpassing the Columbine High School massacre of 1999. It is also the deadliest mass shooting incident of 2018.

Santa Fe, Texas: Another teenager shot dead ten people and injured ten others at a school in the city of Sante Fe in Texas. The 17 year old used a shotgun and a revolver to shoot dead people he did not ‘like’. After being arrested he admitted he meant to kill the people he shot at. The shooter also told the investigating officer he spared people he liked because he wanted his story told.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: In the worst anti-Semitic attack in the history of U.S. a 46 year-old gunman shot and killed 11 Jewish people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Seven people were injured and the gunman was apprehended from the scene with some injuries after being engaged by the police.

While charges were filed against him in court, the gunman spewed anti-Jewish rant which made the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting an act of religious hate against the Jewish community.

Thousand Oaks, California: A former member of the US marines, who had served as a soldier in Afghanistan turned into a mass shooter in California. The 28 year-old marine veteran shot dead 11 people with his hand gun at bar in Thousands Oaks in California. He died at the scene of the shooting due to self-inflicted wounds. His mother feared her son’s mental health and many now suspect that the shooting was a result of his breakdown due to Post-traumatic stress disorder suffered due to his time served as a marine.

Trenton, New Jersey: An art festival in New Jersey was the sight of a mass shooting in June when a gang member began shooting at the venue due to a gang dispute. Twenty-two people were injured, 17 with gun shot wounds, marking this incident as the highest number of people injured in a mass shooting in 2018. The shooter was shot dead by police officers on the scene. The shooter had already served time in jail on murder-related charges.

A staggering 13, 376 number of people have died in the U.S. due to gun-related violence. Of this almost 3,000 are children 0-17 years of age. Yet, the Trump Administration seems firmly in the grips of the gun lobby with no intention of doing anything to curb gun-related violence. It seems 2019 will bring more tragedy as did 2018 and 2017 and so forth.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2018 04:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).