School Shootings: No Longer Unexpected

School shootings are broadly defined as acts of violence carried out with firearms in which schools are deliberately chosen as the site of violence. Not only do school shootings claim the lives of students and school staff at the time, but they also lead to residual psychological trauma among survivors and global fear in the broader school community. School shootings are a new phenomenon in the past 50–60 years, with increasing frequency in the past two decades. Between 2013 and 2015, there was on average one school shooting per week in the United States. Though school shootings, especially mass school shootings, capture the world’s attention, the majority of firearm deaths in children in the United States are not due to mass school shootings. Despite a paucity of high-quality evidence due to underreporting of school shootings and general underfunding of firearm research, there are documented factors associated with school shootings. These include weaker state-level firearm legislation, increased state-level firearm ownership, recent school shootings contributing to a contagion effect in school shootings, and declines in federal and state funding for education. In contrast, stronger state-level firearm laws, safe firearm storage, and restriction of firearm access for unsupervised minors may reduce firearm-related deaths in schools. Only through comprehensive, multifaceted approaches employing rigorous research and meaningful legislation identifying risk factors and preventive strategies can the rise of school shootings in the US be curbed. Further research on survivors of school shootings is also warranted to identify those at risk for long-term adverse outcomes.