Gun violence

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This special collection brings together evidence and insights from nonprofits, foundations, and research organizations working to understand the full impact of firearm use and gun violence in the US. By providing us with analyses of current state and federal laws as well as valuable data on suicides, homicides, accidents, and mass shootings, these organizations seek to inform sound public policy and to curb this ongoing public health epidemic.

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Educational Costs of Gun Violence: Implications for Washington, DC

July 8, 2022

Research indicates that gun violence and violent crime can negatively affect educational outcomes including test scores, graduation rates, and academic engagement. In this brief, we summarize research on this topic, situate this evidence in the context of the geography of gun violence and educational outcomes in DC, and describe implications for DC communities.

Texas AFT Respect Us Expect Us Survey Stats

June 8, 2022

In the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, we surveyed school employees and parents about their reactions and concerns:90% of Texas school employees have worried about a shooting happening at their school.42% of those employees said the Uvalde shooting may affect their decision to return.Still, 77% of Texas school employees reject the idea that teachers should be armed in the classroom.Instead, high majorities of both Texas school employees and parents support red-flag laws (87%), required background checks (87%), raising the minimum age for gun purchases to 21 (85%), and even a ban on assault weapons (75%).Additionally, 96% of survey respondents support the Texas Legislature increasing funding for public education to invest in mental health resources and make meaningful security upgrades. The emphasis here is on meaningful: Uvalde CISD received $69,000 from a one-time, $100 million state grant to enhance physical security in Texas public schools, according to TEA data.

Keeping Our Promise: Annual Report 2021

December 1, 2021

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) was founded to protect all kids from shootings and violence in their schools, homes, and communities -- and this pandemic tested our organization and pushed us to find new ways to reach those in need. This 2021 Annual Report demonstrates SHP's impact, despite the seemingly endless challenges of the past year, we successfully saved lives and got kids the help they needed. And we will continue to do so every day until all children are free from shootings and acts of violence in their schools, homes, and communities.

Keeping Our Schools Safe: A Plan for Preventing Mass Shootings and Ending All Gun Violence in American Schools

May 19, 2020

Everytown for Gun Safety has compiled scientific research on gun violence in American Schools. Everytown for Gun Safety in collaboration with The American Federation of Teachers and The National Education Association have created a plan focused on interventions that can prevent mass shootings and gun violence in American Schools. This report covers the following topics: demonstrate what gun violence in American schools looks like, outline a plan to prevent gun violence in schools, and stop schools from arming teachers.

Connect & Redirect to Respect: Final Report

January 1, 2019

In 2014 the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) piloted a new approach to reducing violence and promoting safety among CPS students. The Connect & Redirect to Respect (CRR) program aims to keep students safe by using information gathered via social media to identify students engaging in risky behaviors—such as instigating conflict, signaling involvement in a gang, or brandishing a weapon—and connect them to a caring adult who seeks to understand their situation, help them navigate it, and connect them with services intended to keep them safe.This report is an evaluation of the effects of CRR. There is evidence that suggests once the program was fully implemented, students attending participating high schools were at lower risk of being shooting victims; experienced fewer misconduct incidents and out-of-school suspensions; and attended school for several additional days, relative to students in non-participating high schools. These findings suggest that CRR may be a promising approach to improving school and student safety.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017

March 27, 2018

This report covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying and cyberbullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur away from school are offered as a point of comparison where available.

Arming Teachers Is a Dangerous Proposal

March 12, 2018

Schools are meant to be places of sanctuary, safety, and learning for children. But, as the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, shows, children are also victims of America's gun violence crisis, even while attending school.After shootings like Parkland, and as a way to further their "guns everywhere" agenda, the NRA takes every opportunity to push for policies that would arm teachers. There is no evidence that arming teachers will protect children in schools. To the contrary, research indicates that arming teachers will make children less safe.This is why school safety experts—including teachers, school resource officers, and law enforcement organizations—oppose the policy. If lawmakers want to prevent school shootings, they must adopt proactive, commonsense solutions to prevent people with dangerous histories from obtaining guns in the first place.

Education Campaigns and Clinical Interventions for Promoting Safe Storage

January 1, 2018

Safe storage of firearms may prevent suicide and unintentional injuries and deaths. There is research evidence that child-access prevention laws, which require safe storage practices, can reduce suicides and unintentional injuries and deaths. While there is limited evidence that education campaigns have successfully promoted safe storage of firearms, there is evidence that clinicians who counsel families to store guns safely can influence behavior, particularly when devices, such as gun locks, are given away for free.

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety - 2015-16

July 20, 2017

These reports present key findings on crime and violence in U.S. public schools, using data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). SSOCS provides information about school crime-related topics from the school's perspective, asking public school principals to report the frequency of violent incidents, such as physical attacks, robberies, and thefts in their schools. Portions of this survey also focus on programs, disciplinary actions, and policies implemented to prevent and reduce crime and violence in schools.The survey was first administered in the spring of the 1999–2000 school year and repeated in school years 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2015–16. The 2015–16 survey was developed by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education with the support of the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Hate and Guns: A Terrifying Combination

February 24, 2016

Congress and state legislatures should pass laws that prevent individuals convicted of hate crimes from buying or possessing firearms.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014

September 7, 2015

A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in schools and colleges. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources--the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the Schools and Staffing Survey, EDFacts, and the Campus Safety and Security Survey. The report covers topics such as victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.

Statistics & Surveys

Analysis of School Shootings: December 15, 2012 - December 9, 2014

April 9, 2015

Regardless of the individuals involved in a shooting or the circumstances that gave rise to it, gunfire in our schools shatters the sense of security that these institutions are meant to foster. Everyone should agree that even one school shooting is one too many.In this report, incidents were classified as school shootings when a firearm was discharged inside a school building or on school or campus grounds, as documented by the press or confirmed through further inquiries with law enforcement. Incidents in which guns were brought into schools but not fired, or were fired off school grounds after having been possessed in schools, were not included.Over the course of two years, we identified a total of three incidents in which a private citizen discharged a firearm at a school that was ultimately determined to be self-defense -- February 4, 2013 at Martin Luther King, Jr., High School in Detroit, MI, January 30, 2014 at Eastern Florida State College, and April 7, 2014 at Eastern New Mexico University. These three incidents were not included in the analysis.

Statistics & Surveys