Sources that track the "number of U.S. school shootings" often use different criteria anddefinitions of "school shootings,"leading to public confusion about the issues of gun safety, school safety, and violent crime.
Different Data:There are two commonly cited sources tracking U.S. "school shootings." The K-12 Violence Project, run by data scientist David Riedman, has a "K-12 School Shooting Database" countingany incident "when a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, or day of the week."This tracker has counted 220school shootings so far in 2024. EducationWeek (Center bias), a news organization, uses more limited criteriaand has counted 27school shootings so far in 2024. The K-12 Violence Projectcounted 346 school shootings in 2023, versus 37 counted by EducationWeek.
How the Media Covers It:Many sources, especially on the left and center but also some on the right, cite the K-12 Violence Project data when reporting on the "number of school shootings" in a given timeframe. The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) is among the sources that usethe EducationWeek data.
Why the Difference:People on the left are generally in favor of gun restrictions and may gravitate toward data sources that emphasize problems with guns. People on the right are generally less supportive of gun restrictions and may gravitate toward data sources that make gun problems seem less severe.This summary will be updated throughout 2024. Last updated 9/10/24 at 8:36 amET.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. News & World Report
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(TOM WILLIAMS|CQ-ROLL CALL, INC)
News
A Thursday shooting at anIowa schoolthat left a sixth-grader dead and at least five other victims wounded continued a troubling trend of school shootings in the U.S. and marked the fourth such incident in the U.S. already in 2024.
Though the devastating impact of school shootings – and of lives lost to any sort of violence – cannot be adequately captured by data and charts alone, they can help illustrate the tragic toll and geography of incidents that have become disturbingly prevalent in the U.S. in recent years.
In 2023,...
From the Center
School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week
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News
School shootings—terrifying to students, educators, parents, and communities—always reignite polarizing debates about gun rights and school safety. To bring context to these debates, Education Week journalists began tracking shootings on K-12 school property that resulted in firearm-related injuries or deaths.
In 2024, we continue thisheartbreaking, but important work. More information about this tracker and our methodology is below.
There have been 2 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis.There have been183 such shootings since 2018. There were 37 school shootings with injuries...
From the Center
Misinformation on Number of School Shootings Fueled by Inconsistent Reporting
AllSides
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Analysis
Different definitions of “school shooting” are contributing tomisinformationabout the issue.
There are several efforts to track the number of school shootings in the U.S. One of them counted 346 school shootings in 2023. The other counted 37. Both have been cited in media reports – the larger one, more often – but the discrepancy is rarely explained. How could they be so different?
The Violence Project, an independent operation run by data scientistDavid Riedman, has a“K-12 School Shooting Database.”The tracker includes any incident in which "a gun is brandished, is...
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