There are now more school shootings than ever before, new study says

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/online-first?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=296624390&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_x-5wSkdWUA_FI5iRoh9Sc6LjwHTHgRJ-1FGRuofD9u7_bCriztnkJUFkYWg5NKTyb_wvI73BPfMvqk7nDbPpXz9OtCw&utm_content=296624390&utm_source=hs_email?autologincheck=redirected There are now more school shootings than ever before, new study says Yes, you read that right: There were 328 school shootings in the 2021-2022 academic year, according to a new study in Pediatrics, more than any year before it. The annual rate has increased steadily since 1997-1998, with a substantial jump in the last five years leading up to 2022. The researchers calculated rates based on two publicly available datasets on school shootings. In these databases, a school shooting was defined as any time a gun was brandished, fired, or a bullet hit school property. Perhaps surprisingly, they found that the number of mass shootings in schools has not increased — though they have become more deadly. These are shootings in which at least three or four people were killed (four if it was before 2013, three if after). There is no national database with all the necessary information and statistics on school shootings, the authors note. “The data are clear that these tragedies cannot be prevented by focusing on school security alone,” physician Rebecca Bell writes in a commentary piece published with the study. Pediatricians can counsel families on safe firearm storage, including local resources for available storage outside the home, she writes, though many clinicians lack training on how to have those conversations.