The Associated Press reported on Friday that the first half of 2023 witnessed a record-breaking 28 mass murders in the United States.

The report is released as government officials work to reduce gun violence nationwide.

According to the AP investigation, which was released on Friday, 140 people perished during that time.

Guns were used in all but one of the mass killings, which are crimes in which four or more individuals are killed, excluding the perpetrator.

Since 2006, The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University have worked together to create a database that tracks widespread violence.

The 2023 milestone beat the previous record of 27 mass killings, which was only set in the second half of 2022.

Around the July 4 holiday, marking the US Independence Day, multiple mass shootings killed and injured dozens of people across the country, including in the capital, Washington, DC, prompting renewed calls for stricter gun laws.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden decried the “wave of tragic and senseless” shootings and called on Republicans in Congress to join him in pursuing “meaningful, commonsense” gun reforms.

“It is within our power to once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to require safe storage of guns, to end gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and to enact universal background checks,” he said.