Stopping Gun Violence

K-12 Public and Private Schools.
Synagogues. 
Shopping Malls. 
Parks. 
Fourth of July Parade. 
Casino. 
Hospitals. 
Entertainment District. 
Veterans Home. 
College Campuses. 
Temples. 
Supermarkets. 
Movie theater. 
Lunar New Year Festival. 
Dance Studio. 
Military Base. 
Hotel bar. 
Nursing Home. 
Churches. 
Workplaces. 
LGBTQ Nightclubs. 
Country Music Festival. 
Private Households. 
Military Recruiting Office. 
Massage Parlor. 
Restaurants. 
Women’s Health Clinic. 
 

These are the places where Americans have been killed or wounded in mass shootings. 

Students deserve safe communities, schools, and campuses that promote their learning and development. But sadly, children and young people are surrounded by gun violence. 

In 2024, NEARI members made significant progress for Common Sense Gun safety when a Safe Storage bill supported by our union was signed into law by Gov. McKee. But there is more to do.

According to the Pew Research Center’s recent analysis of federal data, the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the U.S. increased by 50 percent between 2019 and 2021. 

Our students are coming of age in an era of mass shootings in grocery stores, malls, and banks, at Fourth of July parades, concerts, and places of worship—anywhere we gather. Massacres at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Umpqua Community College, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Robb Elementary, the Covenant School, and other schools have traumatized children, their families, and educators. 

Students should not have to endure drills on how to hide from mass murderers. Educators should not be forced to act as shields against assault weapons and make impossible choices to try to protect students from the worst horrors imaginable.  

Research in 2023 by 97Percent, a bipartisan gun safety organization, revealed that most gun owners believe we can respect the Second Amendment while also protecting Americans’ safety, and also want us to enact commonsense gun reforms. We must come together to pass commonsense reforms, such as a ban on assault weapons and background checks on gun show sales and transfers.

Students can’t learn if they feel unsafe or if they are dealing with trauma from incidents that happen outside school grounds or are worried about how to get home safely. In 2020 alone, 4,300 children died from firearms and many of today’s youth have grown up practicing active shooter drills in schools. Educators are increasingly expected to transform from nurturers to first responders at a moment’s notice—having to react and decide the best ways to protect their students based on the circumstances. 

This is unacceptable and preventable. The solutions may not be simple or easy, but we know they start with two things: common sense gun reform and mental health supports.

To keep students safe—in our schools and in our communities— we must limit access to guns in the first place by providing universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons, passing red flag laws, and other legislation.