Advocacy Groups: Nearly 100 School Shootings Since Sandy Hook

By Rich Scinto, Patch Editor

A recent report released by Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America found that there have been nearly 100 school shooting incidents since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

“The inconceivably tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook woke up millions of Americans to our country’s pervasive culture of gun violence. We do not send our children to school to learn how to hide from gunmen, nor should we expect sharpshooting to be a job requirement for educators,” said Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Of the 95 documented incidents in the report there were 59 non-fatal or fatal assaults, six non-fatal or fatal assaults followed by attempted or completed suicide, 10 attempted or completed suicides, six accidental shootings and 14 guns fired with no one injured.

There were 45 deaths and 79 non-fatal gunshot injuries across all incidents and in one-third of the shootings at least one person died. An average of two school shootings took place in K-12 schools per month over the past two years.

The data was collected from a variety of news reports and may not represent all shooting events that have happened at schools across the nation. Incidents were reported in 33 states.

Minors were the perpetrators in 70 percent of incidents in K-12 schools where the shooter’s age was known, according to the report. There had been an argument or confrontation that escalated in more than a third of the incidents.

“Here’s the reality: this country has experienced 95 school shootings since the tragedy at Sandy Hook. The other reality is that Congress is complicit in these murders if we continue to sit back and do nothing to reverse this trend,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “We don’t have to choose between protecting the Second Amendment and enacting common-sense safety measures. It’s long overdue for Congress to stand up and act.”

Senator Richard Blumenthal the best way to honor the 26 children and educators that were killed in Newtown is to take action and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

Map from report