The New York Times, citing the Gun Violence Archive, this week listed at least 25 mass shootings during 2021 in which at least four people besides the shooter were killed. Only a couple prompted more than vague recollections in my mind. The victims not only lost their lives in violence. They, and the friends and family members who survive them, are also losing the dignity of a place in the national narrative.

Test yourself. Nearly everyone who follows the news must remember the Las Vegas shooting in which a madman fired from an upper story of a hotel on The Strip at a large crowd gathered on the street below.

But what specifically do you remember? What was the precise year of this event? What hotel was he shooting from? Do you recall the shooter’s name or whether he was apprehended and brought to justice? Why was a large crowd outside the hotel? Above all: How many people lost their lives?