Around the country, gun violence is on the decline—but not in our schools. Last school year, we witnessed a 31% increase in incidents of gunfire on school grounds compared to the year prior, Everytown for Gun Safety research reveals. Let’s dive into that data.
In total, there were 144 cases of a school shooting last year, according to the nonprofit’s data. In 2022-23, there were 110. Yet, both numbers are a significant improvement from the record-breaking 192 shooting incidents that occurred in 2021-22.
“School is the last place where kids should have to worry about gun violence, yet we saw incidents of gunfire on school grounds increase last year,” the research reads.
The most common type of shooting to occur in schools last year involved attempted or actual assaults or homicides, the research continues. Additionally, we saw record-high numbers of shootings by police and unintentional shootings.
For instance, two people were unintentionally shot and wounded during a basketball game at Escambia County High School in Alabama when a gun went off after falling from someone’s waistband.
More from DA: Learn from one state that bested chronic absenteeism
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a 16-year-old student unintentionally shot and killed a classmate after a basketball game at Atrisco Heritage High School. The two were playing with the gun in the parking lot when it discharged.
“These shootings offer a window into the devastating impact that gunfire on school grounds has on students,” the research reads. “All incidents of gun violence in schools, regardless of their intent or victim count, compromise the safety of students and staff.”
Additional gun violence data
We encourage you to take a look at the research yourself to get a clear picture of gun violence in K12 schools. Here’s a brief look at some of the organization’s additional findings:
- In 2023-24, 87 people were wounded. Thirty-six were killed.
- The majority of instances involved gun homicide/assault (52.7%). Others include:
- Unintentional shooting (14.8%)
- Gun suicide death/attempt (6.7%)
- Mass shooting (0.7%)
- 26 states have adopted a secure storage or child-access prevention policy.
