Littleton, Colorado – Twenty-five years have passed since the tragic massacre at Columbine High School, a devastating event that marked the beginning of the modern era of school shootings in the United States. On April 20, 1999, two teenage gunmen ended the lives of 12 students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Since then, the fear of school shootings has gripped the hearts of many parents, who worry about the safety of their children when they go to school.
According to David Riedman, the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, the number of individuals killed with guns on school premises has risen to at least 493 over the last two and a half decades. Among them, 138 were victims of active shooter incidents on school grounds. The terminology used to define “school shootings” plays a significant role in determining the number of such incidents, with figures ranging from as low as eight to over 2,000, depending on the parameters.
Riedman’s inclusive definition includes any situation where a firearm is brandished, fired, or when a bullet strikes school property, irrespective of factors like the number of victims, time of day, or motivation. Using this criteria, a staggering 2,032 school shootings have occurred since the Columbine tragedy, with a notable increase in incidents in recent years, including a record-breaking 348 incidents last year alone.
Despite the alarming statistics, rampage attacks similar to Columbine remain relatively rare occurrences. Criminologist James Alan Fox emphasizes the importance of putting these numbers into perspective, noting that while there has been a rise in the number of victims in recent years due to a few high-profile cases, the overall incidents in schools have not shown exponential growth. Additionally, the probability of a child being shot while at school remains low.
Parents’ fears for their children’s safety at school have escalated in recent years, as highlighted by a Gallup poll showing that 38 percent of parents expressed fear regarding their children’s safety. However, experts attribute much of this fear to increased media coverage of school shootings. Jaclyn Schildkraut, from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, underscores the rarity of mass deaths in school shootings, pointing out that schools are still among the safest places for children in terms of gun violence.
Efforts to prevent school shootings can be enhanced by investigating “near miss” incidents, according to Riedman. These are events that had the potential for greater tragedy but were averted. Collaboration and communication among individuals with information are crucial in preventing such tragedies. While the frequency of these incidents remains low, the impact on communities and families is immeasurable, highlighting the importance of ongoing efforts to address gun violence in schools.