With the anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, fast approaching, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released a report and video on Tuesday that examines school shootings.
Here were the group’s key findings:
- Of the K-12 school shootings in which the shooter’s age was known, 70 percent (28 of 40 incidents) were perpetrated by minors. Among these K-12 school shootings where it was possible to determine the source of the firearm, nearly two-thirds of the shooters (10 of 16) obtained their guns from home.
- In 35 shootings— more than a third of all incidents — at least one person was shot after an argument or confrontation escalated and a gun was on hand.
- The 95 school shootings occurred in 33 states across the country. Fifty-two percent of the shootings took place at K-12 schools and 48 percent took place on college or university campuses.
- These school shootings resulted in 45 deaths and 78 non-fatal gunshot injuries. In 32 percent of these incidents at least one person died.
- In 65 incidents (68 percent), the perpetrator(s) intentionally injured or killed another person with a gun; of these, 23 incidents resulted in at least one homicide. In 16 incidents, the shooter attempted or completed suicide — in six incidents after shooting someone else. Six shootings were purely accidental in nature. In 14 other incidents, a gun was discharged but no one was injured.
- Over the last two years an average of two school shootings took place at K-12 schools each month.
- During the last three months alone, there were 17 school shootings including a single week in which there were five incidents in five separate states.
Not surprisingly the group’s leaders believe that enacting tougher gun laws would help to address violence in and around schools.
“School shootings – no matter the circumstances – corrode the sense of security we should expect from our educational institutions in this country. Two years ago, the NRA called for arming teachers – that’s their solution – more guns for everyone, everywhere, anytime,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety in a press release.
“The gun lobby wants schools and college students to join the country’s arms race and buy more guns,” Feinblatt continued. “Instead, we can and should do more to prevent gun violence – that’s why we’re fighting for common-sense public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and keep guns out of the wrong hands.”
Everytown’s main legislative objective is to push for universal background checks on all gun transfers, including those made between private buyers and sellers.
“The inconceivably tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook woke up millions of Americans to our country’s pervasive culture of gun violence. We do not send our children to school to learn how to hide from gunmen, nor should we expect sharpshooting to be a job requirement for educators. For far too long, our lawmakers have asked children and teachers to stand up to gunmen because they are too afraid to stand up to the gun lobby,” said Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
“You may not have heard about all of these shooting incidents on the national news, but when a lockdown is announced over a school intercom – for whatever reason – it strikes fear across the community” added Watts. “We will not allow the constant threat of gun violence at our schools to become the new normal – it’s time our elected leaders take a stand for the safety and future of our children.”
The way I see it is there will always be armed individuals who want to take innocent lives, irrespective of the laws on the books or the cops on the beat. Therefore, as citizens with a Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms the onus is ultimately on us to prepare for threats when they arise. The alternative is to hope and pray that you don’t become a hapless victim.
How are these drills anymore stressful on kids than the fire drills or tornado drills a lot of us went through as kids ? what r these safe places the kids are going to? Why is this teacher cowering on the floor ? I for one would rather see the teacher grab a shot gun or hand gun from a lock box in the desk or a holster on her person and be ready to shoot an armed intruder coming through the door. I would hate to see a child die because of cowards like Moms or Every town convincing people to be afraid and let evil people do bad things. Standing up for ourselves and children and protecting the weak IS the American way. Not hiding on the floor and hoping nobody looks our way.
Pussification of the United States
————Idiocracy—————
What makes any of these people believe gun laws will prevent ANYTHING?? Be it school shootings or any other kind of shooting? In case they don’t know it, murder and assault have ALWAYS been against the law everywhere in this country. Most of the time carrying long prison terms and even a death sentence in many states.
If they ignore these laws that have been in effect since the inception of this country, then why would a different law make any difference what so ever?
Not to mention the guns used in these shootings were used illegally to begin with. Either stolen from family members, or someone else. Or by making illegal purchases. The point there being already illegal, meaning a law already exists to STOP these people from obtaining firearms. So what good would passing more of them do?
Perhaps I am just stupid, but it would seem to me that murder, mass murder, drug dealing, stealing, assault, etc.. Are very common these days. Perhaps no one is teaching their kids there are laws against this type of behavior already?
Perhaps a LAW making the parents of any minor responsible for the law their child committed would do more to change the face of this country than anything else. One thing is certain, they would be aware of a LOT more of what their children are doing, and more conserned about what happens after they do it as well. Who knows? Maybe a couple with no time or interest in raising their children to be decent people, will decide birth control may be something to reconsider.
Don’t buy the surface appearance. The billionaire 1%ers who finance Moms, Everytown, etc. don’t care a whit about the safety of the children of the serf class. The piles of tiny dead bodies just make a good platform from which to pursue their true agenda of total disarmament of America.
If Bloomberg, Gates, et al were honestly interested in improving the safety of public places of education, the purchase of hardened doors, metal detectors, and armed security would prove zero financial burden to their personal fortunes, with the added benefit of the costs being tax deductible. They don’t do this because the only thing you have to be concerned about, once you can afford to financially manipulate government, is an armed, aware populace not interested in living in an oligarchy.
I-594 in WA state is a perfect example of this long – game strategy. By making gun training expensive and time consuming via the ridiculously flawed “transfer” section of the initiative, potential new shooters and sportsmen will be unlikely to pursue the classic American pastimes of gun ownership, hunting, and marksmanship. There will be fewer people pursuing these interests in each generation, and because of the costs involved, will be much more likely to be Bloomberg’s “right sort” of people than Joe Sixpack .
I truly believe this is the longterm goal, and that monied interests are purposely and cynically using public hysteria and ignorant hoplophobia to further their own agendas, at the cost of the typical American citizen retaining meaningful input in the US government by banishing the ultimate check and balance of potential armed resistance to tyranny.
Just wondering, why haven’t any of the parents been charged with the killing their kids do? We are Not Parents, but when we have kids or young people over I unload and lock any of my firearms that are any where close to bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, from room and computer room, then put the ammo down in the basement. Would have thought this would be Common Sense type thing for parents. We all know kids will be kids, and to knowingly leave a firearm loaded or where the ammo is close at hand just seem criminal to me. If my thinking here is wrong please post it so we all can learn something. Thanks Ray
M.O.M.S. = Malicious Obstructionally Misinformed Society
Who, would not have felt better if the teacher had gone into the fingerprint lockbox in her key locked closet & retrieved a 12 gage that she had been trained to use. Instead she squats in the corner like sheep in a pen.
So, if by some mystical stroke of idiocy, they manage to get these ridiculous Universal Background Checks we are going to see every single person who cares nothing for written law suddenly start to obey it? NOPE! These people are dumber than a box of hammers.
Why are they always spouting gun violence? Anyone ever see a gun get up and do something like this on its own? There has to be a perpetrator. The problem is society and the lax judicial system. We have the best politicians money can buy and how much money you have determines the justice served. No responsibility or accountability any more.
I get that your intentions are good. Your methods do little to help the problem. Stop labeling schools as soft targets by declareing them gun free. This s a major factor as someone decides whether or not to take a gun to school. Check the existing data on shootings at schools who have publicized themselves as soft targets vs schools that allow teachers to carry concealed.
“Everytown’s main legislative objective is to push for universal background checks on all gun transfers, including those made between private buyers and sellers.” And this is supposed prevent the 2/3 of kids who get their guns from their home how? What has gun transfer sales have to do with a kid removing a lawful firearm from his home. As usual these people make no sense. They are just gun grabbers and think some statistics (which I’m not sure I agree with) are going to support their anti-second amendement rights agenda. Instead of grabbing guns how about proper parenting and a recognition that children need supervision. It’s the lack of supervision by parents that allows these things to happen.