Newtown Could Be the Deadliest School Shooting in History
Early fatality figures coming out of Newtown dwarf those from Columbine and almost all other school shootings. Based on the horrifying number of deaths currently being reported — possibly between 27 and 30 — only the Virginia Tech massacre took a larger toll in human life. For some perspective about just how awful the events Sandy Hook Elementary were, here is a list of the deadliest school shootings in history:
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Virginia Polytechnic and State University—Blacksburg, Virginia (2007): 32 victims
Sandy Hook Elementary—Newtown, Connecticut (2012): 27 victims, according to early reports. CNN reports the death toll to be closer to 30.
Dunblane School—Dunblane, Scotland (1996): 17 victims
Johan Gutenberg high school—Erfurt, Germany (2002): 16 victims
University of Texas—Austin, Texas (1966): 16 victims
Albertville secondary school—Winnenden, Germany (2009): 15 victims
École Polytechnique—Montreal, Canada (1989): 14 victims
Columbine High School—Columbine, Colorado (1999): 13 victims
Azerbaijan State Oil Academy—Baku, Azerbaijan (2009): 13 victims
Tasso da Silveira Municipal School— Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011): 12 victims
Kauhajoki School of Hospitality—Kauhajoki, Western Finland (2008): 10 victims
Red Lake Senior High School—Red Lake, Minnesota (2005): 9 victims
Oikos University—Oakland, California (2012): 7 victims
Many of these incidents caused countries to get strict on gun control. Following Dunblane, the U.K. banned handgun ownership. The Montreal massacre led to laws that made it harder to get a gun in Canada. White House spokesman Jay Carney has said, "Today's not ... a day to engage in the usual Washington policy debates," but others want to start the discussion.
