“In April 1999, a hush fell over the nation as we learned about the tragic massacre of 10 students and one teacher at Columbine High School. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting at a school in the United States.

Since then, gun violence has only gotten worse. In 2017, firearm violence became the leading cause of death for children aged 1–19 years, overtaking motor vehicle accidents. In 2021–2022, the rate of gunfire incidents on school grounds reached its all-time high of 328 shootings—93 of which resulted in fatalities.

The results are sobering:

• 1453 school shootings occurred from 1997 to 2022, with the number of shootings each year increasing to a maximum of 328 in the 2021–2022 school year.
• There were 11 total mass shootings during the study period, resulting in 122 children killed and 126 others injured.
• Though the rate of mass shootings has not increased over time, they have become deadlier—from 7.6 deaths per shooting in 1997–2012 to 14.0 deaths per shooting in 2013–2022.

Unfortunately, these interventions have not worked. There were 135 more school shootings in the study’s final five years than the prior 20 years combined. In fact, these interventions may inadvertently be harming children by inducing trauma and unnecessarily entangling young students with law enforcement.

Despite school shootings dominating the American psyche since the 1999 Columbine massacre, our schoolchildren are still being shot and killed at historic rates. Current interventions do not work. Our children need comprehensive, evidence-backed, and effective solutions to keep them safe.”