U.S. campus shootings rose dramatically last academic year

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- There was a 31 percent rise in U.S. school shootings during the 2023-24 academic year compared to the previous year, according to findings published on Friday by the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety and the K-12 School Shooting Database.

The study found that the 2023-24 year had the second-highest number of incidents since Everytown began tracking gun violence at schools more than a decade ago. The 2021-2022 school year, when kids first returned to campuses after pandemic-related closures, had the highest number of gun violence incidents on campuses.

Researchers reviewed media reports on U.S. school shootings and found there had been at least 144 incidents of gun violence, which they defined as any time a gun was discharged on campus, last school year. The violence led to 36 people's deaths and 87 people injured. Forty-six children sustained gunshot wounds on campuses in the previous school year, the data showed.

David Riedman, a researcher on the project and the creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, attributed the rise to "easy access to firearms," while others blamed the problem on the lack of strong safety measures at schools and the mental health crisis among young people who ended up bringing guns to school.

"The data proposes we consider the bigger picture of schools plagued by the presence of guns and children being exposed to gunfire, not just the grimmest incidents that involve deaths and injuries," said USA Today in its Friday's report about the findings.