Data shows over 350 school shooting incidents in U.S. since Covenant School shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — According to the K-12 School Shooting Database founded by David Riedman, there have been more than 350 school shooting incidents in K-12 schools across the U.S. since the Covenant School shooting one year ago, but none of them have been as deadly.
Riedman has compiled data from every time a gun is brandished, fired, or a bullet hits K-12 school property since 1966, along with the circumstances around the incident, on the K-12 School Shooting Database.
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Riedman told News 2 since the Covenant shooting, there has been one planned out shooting attack at a K-12 school, which happened at Perry High School in Iowa where one person was killed and seven were injured.
The majority of the remaining more than 350 incidents stemmed from fights that escalated into shootings.
“What this data shows is that shootings like the Covenant School, where there is someone going to the school with the intent to kill as many people as possible, are actually very rare,” Riedman said. “What’s very common is that almost every day there is a shooting at a school that’s an escalation of a dispute, and it turns into a shooting because a teenager is armed.”
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Riedman told News 2 fights that turn into shootings and planned out attacks at schools are two different problems and require different policy solutions to solve.
However, he has noticed a trend both kinds of school shootings share.
“Unfortunately, whether it’s a planned attack or it’s another shooting during a fight, it’s the same thing over and over again,” Riedman said. “It’s the same predictable set of circumstances, and it’s the same missed opportunities to stop this violence from happening.”
Riedman said his data shows school shooters who plan out their attacks often show warning signs, and shooters who fire shots during fights that escalate often get their guns from their parents, guardians, and other adults.
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“If someone is voicing intent of harming themselves or others and people are worried about them, we need to make sure that somebody can’t access a weapon. If there are teenagers or other kids that are around your house, you need to make sure the guns are locked in your house so they’re not taken or stolen and then used in a fight at a school,” Riedman said.
In addition, Riedman recently launched the Tableau Data Dashboard which allows any user to interact with various pieces of data regarding shooting incidents at K-12 schools.
“The intent of this is for people to explore this information, and from there they can be better informed on the issue and they know what questions to ask or what policy changes might have impact,” Riedman said.
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