The deadliest school shooting in the United States as of December 6, 2023 was the Virginia Tech massacre, with 32 fatalities and 23 injuries. The next deadliest school shooting (based on fatalities) was the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, with 27 fatalities.
School shootings in the U.S.
Mass shootings in the United States have become a disturbingly common occurrence, and sadly, so have school shootings. The Columbine school shooting is perhaps the most famous in the country’s history, and since 1999 (when the shooting occurred), the number of school shootings has only increased. Many measures have been used to try to prevent school shootings, including security guards and metal detectors being deployed in schools, and even the suggestion that teachers be allowed to carry guns in schools.
Gun control
Gun control in the United States is a sticky issue, since gun ownership is enshrined in the Constitution. Some advocate for stricter gun control laws to try to prevent future mass shootings, while others say that this is unconstitutional. Gun ownership rates in the U.S. are high, with the share of American households owning at least one firearm remaining relatively steady since 1972.
Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023
Characteristic
Fatalities
Injured
Virginia Tech massacre (Blacksburg, Virginia, 2007)
32
23
Robb Elementary school massacre (Uvalde, Texas, 2022)
21
17
Columbine High School massacre (Littleton, Colorado, 1999)
Since 2013, the source defines a mass shooting as any single attack in a public place with three or more fatalities, in line with the definition by the FBI. Before 2013, a mass shooting was defined as any single attack in a public place with four or more fatalities.
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Mother Jones. (December 6, 2023). Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. "Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023." Chart. December 6, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. (2023). Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. "Number of Victims of School Shootings in The United States between 1982 and December 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 Dec 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones, Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/ (last visited June 18, 2024)
Number of victims of school shootings in the United States between 1982 and December 2023 [Graph], Mother Jones, December 6, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/476381/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/