Gun Violence in American Schools:

Improving school safety to protect the nation's youth and communities

Key Speakers

Overview

Data shows that school shootings in the United States have hit a record high as of this year. Last year, Zachary Schermele, reporter for USA TODAY, said that “there were 188 shootings with casualties at public and private elementary schools during the 2021-22 school year, according to new federal data. About two-thirds of them caused injuries. 57 led to deaths.” (USA Today) With data taken from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), their crime and safety report showed that there are certain types of shootings that have increased at schools. The Gun Violence Archive highlights that most school shootings are done by males. “The report gives insight into the types of shooters that have wrought havoc on campuses over the past two decades. Of the 47 people responsible for active shooting incidents at elementary and secondary schools in the past two decades, 46 were male. The vast majority, 34, were 12 to 18 years old.” (USA Today; The Gun Violence Archive) Teenagers are particularly susceptible targets to the majority of shootings. The Gun Violence Archive reported on October 17, 2023 that between 2013 and 2023, evidence based research reveals that 3,190 teens (between the ages of 12 and 17) were injured in gun violence shootings, while 1,137 were killed. (The Gun Violence Archive) The Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that began after the Sandy Hook school shooting, claims that “gun violence and school shootings are a uniquely American epidemic... Each day, 12 children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured.” (The Sandy Hook Promise) Statistics also show how gun violence is causing children and young adults to have more mental health issues as a result. “Children exposed to violence, crime, and abuse are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; suffer from depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder; fail or have difficulties in school; and engage in criminal activity.” (Everytown Research & Policy)

On March 14, 2023 President Biden announced new measures that would help assuage gun violence and protect communities from the effects of gun violence. In these regulations, the Executive Order states that there would be an increase in background checks when purchasing firearms, use more “red flag” laws when conducting these background checks, and investigate how firearm manufacturers advertise their products to minors and younger audiences. Similarly before this Executive Order was enacted, “last year, President Biden signed into the law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence reduction legislation enacted in nearly 30 years.” (The White House) One of the gaps that remains here is keeping guns out of children’s hands. Many individual minors who partake in school shootings gain access to these weapons at home. Doctor Patrick Carter of Michigan Medicine states that “most school shooters obtain the firearm from home. And the number of guns within reach of high-school age teenagers has increased during the pandemic – highlighting the importance of locking firearms and keeping them unloaded in the home.” (Michigan Medicine)

Policy continues to address the rise in gun violence and build safer communities, and one of the means that policy aims to do this is by improving mental health services accessible to young kids. The United States Secret Service, in their 2019 memorandum entitled Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence, revealed that “most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures… many attackers felt bullied, persecuted, or injured by others prior to the attack.” (U.S. Secret Service) The Hechinger Report found that “in rural areas, there is often nobody who can provide mental health care for children. As many as 50% of youth nationally meet criteria for having a mental health disorder, including anxiety disorders and behavior disorders.” (The Hechinger Report) This gap is an issue that has risen as gun violence increases in school environments, and how to address this in various parts of the country continues to be a matter for policy to tackle.

This symposium seeks to address the symptoms that lead up to gun violence in school settings across the United States, and improve understanding of what current policy initiatives are being enforced and redacted to combat this issue.

Program

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