School Gun Violence in the United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although less than 2% of all homicides among young people are school-associated, since 1970 1373 K-12 school gun violence incidents have injured 1403 people and killed another 728. These incidents have changed the education landscape. Informed stakeholders must work together to prevent school gun violence. METHODS:We reviewed the nature of school gun violence in the United States and efforts to prevent it. RESULTS:We briefly outline a public health approach to prevent school gun violence, major actions the nation has taken, current school gun violence surveillance systems, the effects of school gun violence nationwide, the extent to which our schools are implementing various interventions to prevent it, and a national strategy to move forward. CONCLUSIONS:Our young people and our schools deserve a more organized national effort.A s summarized below, school gun violence has changed the education landscape. Stakeholders who must acquire information and work together to prevent school gun violence include: school students, their families, and the public; school staff, including school administrators, teachers, nurses, physicians, psychologists, counselors, social workers, safety officers, custodians, bus drivers, and volunteers; education, public health, medical, law enforcement, and safety agency staff; academic institutions that train all the above staff and the professional organizations that represent them; policy makers; media; and concerned nongovernmental, research, and development organizations. The purpose of this analysis is to offer a broad overview of school gun violence in the United States by briefly outlining: a public health approach to prevent school gun violence, major actions the nation has taken, current school gun violence surveillance systems, the nationwide effects of school gun violence, the extent to which the schools are implementing various interventions to prevent it, and a national strategy to move forward. A Public Health ProblemIn 2016, unintentional injuries (accidents) was the leading cause of death among 10-to-19-year-olds in the United States; suicide was the second leading cause, with 42% of youth suicide deaths caused by guns; and homicide was the third leading cause, with 87% of youth homicide deaths caused by guns. 1 Each year less than 2% of all youth homicides occur at K-12 schools, and the majority of these school homicides are caused by guns. 2

Mass Murder of Children…..Again

“…I found an article focused on school gun violence and efforts for prevention. 9 The author suggests a public health approach which is reasonable because gun safety is a critical public health issue. What caused me pause were the suggested interventions to protect students: primary prevention before an incident occurs, secondary prevention to reduce severity of effects when it does occur, and tertiary prevention which helps students, staff, and families to recover.…”

School Mental Health Curriculum Effects on Peer Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Cluster‐Randomized Trial

“…surveillance has identified suicide and homicide as the second and third leading causes of death in 2016 among youth (10-24 years old) in the United States, respectively, highlighting how school violence remains a critical public health challenge. 2,8 Generally, adolescents who are perceived as different, quiet, weak, or less popular by their peers are vulnerable to violence victimization of all types/domains. 6,[9][10][11][12] Adolescents with mental health problems, often perceived as different, experience ''othering'' as a component of mental illness stigma, 13 and therefore, are particularly vulnerable to participation in school violence as a victim and/or perpetrator versus not experiencing violence at all.…”

“…An approach that effectively reduces mental illness stigma could potentially also foster feelings of acceptance and social integration among students with mental illness and thereby reduce their use of violence when faced with peer conflict. This study addresses these gaps in knowledge by evaluating whether a mental health curriculum among sixth-graders-previously shown to effectively reduce stigma and increase help-seeking 24,25 -can also effectively, (1) reduce violence that students with mental health problems receive from their peers, and (2) change behaviors among students with mental health problems. This evaluation is conducted to assess shortand long-term anti-stigma intervention effects on selfreported violence victimization/perpetration among an ethnically/socioeconomically diverse sixth-grade sample across mental health status.…”

“…School violence—bullying, fighting, harassment, weapon use, cyberbullying, and gang violence—is an important and preventable public health problem in the United States 1,2 . School violence is unwanted, intended to harm, and can happen once or repeatedly.…”

“…The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies these behaviors to include physical acts such as kicking or hitting, verbal harassment such as making threats of harm or teasing, relational/social aggression such as spreading rumors or purposely “leaving someone out”, and online/cyber‐bullying, and also advises examining these domains separately 5‐7 . Finally, ongoing surveillance has identified suicide and homicide as the second and third leading causes of death in 2016 among youth (10–24 years old) in the United States, respectively, highlighting how school violence remains a critical public health challenge 2,8 …”