persuasive speech on school shootings

The Truth about School Shootings

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School shootings: What we know about them, and what we can do to prevent them

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, robin m. kowalski, ph.d. robin m. kowalski, ph.d. professor, department of psychology - clemson university @cuprof.

January 26, 2022

On the morning of Nov. 30, 2021, a 15-year-old fatally shot four students and injured seven others at his high school in Oakland County, Michigan. It’s just one of the latest tragedies in a long line of the horrific K-12 school shootings now seared into our memories as Americans.

And we have seen that the threat of school shootings, in itself, is enough to severely disrupt schools. In December, a TikTok challenge known as “ National Shoot Up Your School Day ” gained prominence. Although vague and with no clear origin, the challenge warned of possible acts of violence at K-12 schools. In response, some schools nationwide cancelled classes, others stepped up security. Many students stayed home from school that day. (It’s worth noting that no incidents of mass violence ended up occurring.)

What are the problems that appear to underlie school shootings? How can we better respond to students that are in need? If a student does pose a threat and has the means to carry it out, how can members of the school community act to stop it? Getting a better grasp of school shootings, as challenging as it might be, is a clear priority for preventing harm and disruption for kids, staff, and families. This post considers what we know about K-12 school shootings and what we might do going forward to alleviate their harms.

Who is perpetrating school shootings?

As the National Association of School Psychologists says, “There is NO profile of a student who will cause harm.” Indeed, any attempt to develop profiles of school shooters is an ill-advised and potentially dangerous strategy. Profiling risks wrongly including many children who would never consider committing a violent act and wrongly excluding some children who might. However, while an overemphasis on personal warning signs is problematic, there can still be value in identifying certain commonalities behind school shootings. These highlight problems that can be addressed to minimize the occurrence of school shootings, and they can play a pivotal role in helping the school community know when to check in—either with an individual directly or with someone close to them (such as a parent or guidance counselor). Carefully integrating this approach into a broader prevention strategy helps school personnel understand the roots of violent school incidents and assess risks in a way that avoids the recklessness of profiling.

Within this framework of threat assessment, exploring similarities and differences of school shootings—if done responsibly—can be useful to prevention efforts. To that end, I recently published a study with colleagues that examined the extent to which features common to school shootings prior to 2003 were still relevant today. We compared the antecedents of K-12 shootings, college/university shootings, and other mass shootings.

We found that the majority of school shooters are male (95%) and white (61%) –yet many of these individuals feel marginalized. Indeed, almost half of those who perpetrate K-12 shootings report a history of rejection, with many experiencing bullying. One 16-year-old shooter wrote , “I feel rejected, rejected, not so much alone, but rejected. I feel this way because the day-to-day treatment I get usually it’s positive but the negative is like a cut, it doesn’t go away really fast.” Prior to the Parkland shooting, the perpetrator said , “I had enough of being—telling me that I’m an idiot and a dumbass.” A 14-year-old shooter stated in court, “I felt like I wasn’t wanted by anyone, especially  my mom. ” These individuals felt rejected and insignificant.

Our study also found that more than half of K-12 shooters have a history of psychological problems (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation, bipolar disorder, and psychotic episodes). The individuals behind the Sandy Hook and Columbine shootings, among others, had been diagnosed with an assortment of psychological conditions. (Of course, the vast majority of children with diagnosed psychological conditions don’t commit an act of mass violence. Indeed, psychologists and psychiatrists have warned that simply blaming mental illness for mass shootings unfairly stigmatizes those with diagnoses and ignores other, potentially more salient factors behind incidents of mass violence.) For some, the long-term rejection is compounded by a more acute rejection experience that immediately precedes the shooting. While K-12 school shooters were less likely than other mass shooters to experience an acute, traumatic event shortly before the shooting, these events are not uncommon.

Many shooters also display a fascination with guns and/or a preoccupation with violence. They play violent video games, watch violent movies, and read books that glorify violence and killing. Several of the shooters showed a particular fascination with Columbine, Hitler, and/or Satanism. They wrote journals or drew images depicting violence and gore. The continued exposure to violence may desensitize individuals to violence and provide ideas that are then copied in the school shootings.

To reiterate, however, there is no true profile of a school shooter. Plenty of people are bullied in middle and high school without entertaining thoughts of shooting classmates. Similarly, making and breaking relationships goes along with high school culture, yet most people who experience a break-up do not think of harming others. Anxiety and depression are common, especially in adolescence, and countless adolescents play violent video games without committing acts of violence in real life. Even if some commonalities are evident, we must recognize their limits.

What can we do?

Understanding the experiences of school shooters can reveal important insights for discerning how to prevent school shootings. So, what might we do about it?

First, the problems that appear to underlie some school shootings, such as bullying and mental-health challenges, need attention—and there’s a lot we can do. School administrators and educators need to implement bullying prevention programs, and they need to pay attention to the mental-health needs of their students. One way to do this is to facilitate “ psychological mattering ” in schools. Students who feel like they matter—that they are important or significant to others—are less likely to feel isolated, ostracized, and alone. They feel confident that there are people to whom they can turn for support. To the extent that mattering is encouraged in schools, bullying should decrease. Typically, we don’t bully people who are important or significant to us.

Second, because most of the perpetrators of K-12 shootings are under the age of 18, they cannot legally acquire guns. In our study , handguns were used in over 91% of the K-12 shootings, and almost half of the shooters stole the gun from a family member. Without guns, there cannot be school shootings. Clearly more needs to be done to keep guns out of the hands of youth in America.

Third, students, staff, and parents must pay attention to explicit signals of an imminent threat. Many shooters leak information about their plans well before the shooting. They may create a video, write in a journal, warn certain classmates not to attend school on a particular day, brag about their plans, or try to enlist others’ help in their plot. Social media has provided a venue for children to disclose their intentions. Yet, students, parents, and educators often ignore or downplay the warning signs of an imminent threat. Students often think their peers are simply expressing threats as a way of garnering attention. Even if the threats are taken seriously, an unwritten code of silence keeps many students from reporting what they see or hear. They don’t want to be a snitch or risk being the target of the would-be shooter’s rage. With this in mind, educators and administrators need to encourage reporting among students—even anonymously—and need to take those reports extremely seriously. Helpful information for teachers, administrators, and parents can be found at SchoolSafety.gov . In addition, Sandy Hook Promise provides information about school violence and useful videos for young people about attending to the warning signs that often accompany school shootings.

Fourth, school leaders should be aware that not every apparent act of prevention is worth the costs. Some people believe that lockdown drills, metal detectors, school resource officers, and the like are useful deterrents to school shootings and school violence more broadly. However, researchers have also demonstrated that they can increase anxiety and fear among students . Students may also become habituated to the drills, failing to recognize the seriousness of an actual threat should it arise. Additionally, most K-12 shooters are students within the school itself. These students are well-versed in the security measures taken by the school to try to deter acts of violence by individuals such as themselves. While few would suggest getting rid of lockdown drills and other security measures, educators and administrators need to be mindful of the rewards versus the costs in their selection of safety measures.

Ultimately, our goal should be creating an environment in which school shootings never occur. This is an ambitious aim, and it will be challenging work. But addressing some key issues, such as mental health, will go a long way toward preventing future tragedies in our schools. As so aptly demonstrated in the Ted Talk, “ I was almost a school shooter ,” by Aaron Stark, making someone feel that they have value and that they matter can go a long way toward altering that individual’s life and, consequently, the lives of others.

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Students, We Want to Hear What You Have to Say About School Shootings

By The New York Times Opinion

How many words have adults spoken in the aftermath of mass shootings in America, and are we any safer? Countless words. Countless arguments about gun control and gun violence. Countless thoughts and prayers. Adults have been doing the talking since Buffalo, Uvalde and Tulsa; now it’s time for us to listen too.

We want to shift the discussion to American teenagers and listen to you — high school students and middle school students, who are regularly drilled on gun safety and threat response in between English, geometry and other classes.

We want to understand what you are thinking and feeling in the aftermath of these shootings, and what you are talking about with your friends, classmates, family members, teachers and others. What will it take to feel safe, healthy and less anxious in school when there is so much access to guns today?

For all the good-faith efforts in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals to address school shootings and gun laws — and we hope they lead somewhere — these discussions among adults can also be frustrating to follow, given that the likely result is no result (if the recent past is any guide). Our nation’s leaders passed an assault weapons ban just 28 years ago that was allowed to expire in 2004. Reinstituting such a measure, notwithstanding President Biden’s words last week, is far out of reach now.

There is real value in hearing from students — not only because of the potential threat you face, but because you’re preparing to become voting citizens in our democracy and society. Tell us what you think and how you are doing. Tell us about the kind of schools and the kind of America you would build. In a democracy, every voice should matter — and your voices matter so much on this issue.

— Patrick Healy, deputy Opinion editor

How do you cope with the threat of a school shooting?

If you are a high school or middle school student and 13 or older, please share your responses with us below.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Speeches for School Shootings

Guide to remarks after mass assassinations.

Posted February 15, 2018

Whenever you see one of these telltale signs — kids marching out of a school with their arms raised, someone in a uniform in front of a microphone with a crowd of people standing behind him, an adolescent in schock describing how they escaped — you know that you are witnessing live television coverage of a school or some other mass shooting.

This is your guide to what you will be hearing in the coming hours.

The Dramatis Personae

The sheriff . The lead local (usually county) law enforcement official is the person behind the mike offering condolences and congratulations.

The parent . A parent who has arrived and is either anxiously awaiting their child, or who has found and is hugging them.

(Disclosure: No one has the heart to interview the parent of a child who was killed or wounded. Such people may be interviewed following subsequent mass murders — see "The Cassandra" below.)

The surviving student or other escapee . Survivors who escape before, during or after the killings occur.

The politician . The governor and other political notables who are flown in as soon as possible to address TV cameras and reassure the community. Until they arrive, local elected officials, such as mayors, may be interviewed.

The Cassandra . Someone, local or national, who says that we must stop this bloodshed.

And others.

Congratulation Recipients

First responders. There will be many congratulations to brave men and women who have responded to the shootings, but who usually arrive after the killing is done.

The community . The sheriff or politician or a school board official will, oddly, congratulate the community in which the mass assault and murder occurred.

Students and teachers . The human beings who were assaulted and murdered are especially lauded.

Families and loved ones . Secondary victims sIngled out for prayers and promised support.

Law enforcement . The sheriff and others will congratulate every level of law enforcement — local police and sheriffs deputies, FBI, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (now is not the time to ask why these objects are grouped together), State Police, etc.

" We have shown how capable and coordinated we are ." Since law enforcement leads the speeches, there will be many congratulations for the cooperation of all the local, county, and federal agencies that flock to the scene following the murders.

" We will survive ." Local law enforcement and politicians and school authorities speak of the strength of the community and how it will come together in the aftermath of the mass killing.

" This must never again happen ." A warning by an official or victim or survivor about how we must act in order to prevent this from ever happening again.

(Disclosure: As proven in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, 20 six-seven-year olds and six staff members, or following the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado in 1999, no new federal legislation or programs will be undertaken to prevent mass shootings .

" Our prayers and thoughts ." The pièce de résistance of speeches if to offer the speaker's, and everyone's, thoughts and prayers to all the victims, survivors, and loved ones of those caught in the massacre.

It might seem strange that so much of the speechifying following mass murders is of such a congratulatory and uplifting nature, but what are we to do otherwise to fight off the pain and horror of what has just occurred, and that will sooner or later recur. (Do you remember that 58 people were shot and killed in Las Vegas last October, or that a gunman killed 26 people, including a baby, at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas in November?)

So this entire post-massacre ritual is a cultural survival mechanism.

Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D., is the author of A Scientific Life on the Edge: My Lonely Quest to Change How We See Addiction . He has worked in the addiction field since the publication of Love and Addiction in 1975.

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Remarks by President   Biden Marking One Year Since the School Shooting in Uvalde,   Texas

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3:31 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Before I begin — well, I’m beginning, but — I realize this is a really tough day for all the families.  Remembering is important, but it’s also painful.   One year ago today, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, turned into another killing field in America.    A few days later, Jill and I traveled there and stood before those 21 crosses that were outside the school.  On each cross, a name — like in these candles behind us — of 19 children — 9, 10, 11 years old — and 2 devoted educators, and 17 more injured.  We spent hours with the grieving families who were broken and never, ever will quite be the same.      To the families of the children and to the educators who — we know that, one year later, it’s still so raw for you.  A year of missed birthdays and holidays, school plays, soccer games, just that smile.  A year of everyday joys gone forever.  The bend in his smile.  The perfect pitch of her laugh.    At a vigil a few months later, one of the moms said, “When I lay in bed and turn on my side, envisioning her staring back at me, I want so badly to be part of an alternative reality that just doesn’t exist.  This is my reality, because my 10-year-old daughter was murdered in her fourth-grade classroom.”   Standing there in Uvalde, Jill and I couldn’t help but think that too many schools, too many everyday places have become killing fields in communities all across — every part of America.    And in each place, we hear the same message: Do something.  For God’s sake, please do something.    We did something afterwards, but not nearly enough.  We still need to ban, in my view, AR-15 firearms and assault weapons once again.  You know, they’ve been used time and again in mass killings of innocent children and peoples.    We need to ban high-capacity magazines — the ability to shoot 20, 30, 40, 60 bullets without reloading.  Because today, guns remain the number-one killer — the number-one killer of children in America.  Guns.    And over the last year since Uvalde, our country has experienced a staggering 650 mass shootings and well over — it’s hard to say — well over 4- — 40,000 deaths due to gun violence.    We can’t end this epidemic until Congress passes some commonsense gun safety laws that keep weapons of war off our streets and out of the hands of dangerous people, until states do the same thing.      How many more parents will live their worst nightmare before we stand up to the gun lobby to establish universal background checks, establish national red-flag laws, require safe storage of storage of firearms, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers?  The only — the only major corporate entities that doesn’t have — that’s immune to liability.    Even a majority of responsible gun owners support these commonsense actions to save lives and keep our communities safe.    So it’s time to act.  It’s time to act.  It’s time to make our voices heard — not as Democrats or as Republicans, but as friends, as neighbors, as parents, as fellow Americans.  And I’m being deadly earnest when I say that.   You know, I know, for a long time it’s been hard to make progress.  But there will come a point where our voices are so loud, our determination so clear that we can no longer be stopped.  We will act.    You know, a year ago, after visiting the school, that same day, we attended mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.  In the pews, families and friends held each other tightly.  As the Archbishop spoke, he asked the children in attendance to come up on the altar and sit with him as he spoke on the altar.    And there wasn’t enough room for everybody to go up on the altar, so a mom and her young son sat next to us.  They had us in the first pew; they sat next to us.    As we left the church, a grandmother, who had just lost her granddaughter, came up to us and quietly passed us a note — a handwritten letter.    And here’s what it read.  “Erase the invisible line that is dividing our nation.  Come up with a solution and fix what’s broken and make the changes that are necessary to prevent this from happening again.”   My fellow Americans, you know — you’ve — you can — you can almost feel the pain, for we’ve lost — we’ve lost children.  We have to do this to save our children.  For the nation we love, to erase that invisi- — invisible line.    Jill and I stand here today as, earlier this morning, we were talking about planning a memorial service this weekend celebrating the anniversary of the death of our son, Beau.    Well, guess what?  Everyone’s pain is different.  We, like many of you, have some understanding what it’s like to lose a child on more than one occasion.    For those who have lost a loved one in Uvalde — to the moms, the dads, the brothers, the sisters, and grandmoms, the grandpops, this is what I know: One, they’ll never be gone from your heart.  They’ll always be part of you.    And I know this as well, as unbelievable as it sounds, I promise you a day will come when you pass that ice cream store or you pass that park, you pass that thing that brings back the memory of your son or daughter.  It’s going to bring a smile to your lips when you think of them before it brings a tear to your eye.     That’s when you know you’re going to make it.    And our prayer for you, from the bottom of our heart, is that day come sooner than later — sooner than later.  But God willing, it will come.  As I said, that’s when you know you’re going to make it.    God bless those 21 blessed souls lost on this day in Uvalde.  And may God bless their families.  We’re thinking of you.    3:39 P.M. EDT  

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5 ways to reduce school shootings

Professor of Psychology, Rutgers University - Newark

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Paul Boxer receives funding from the Centers for Disease Control.

Rutgers University - Newark provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US.

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After the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, psychology professor Paul Boxer and his colleagues reviewed research to see what could be learned from what they refer to as the “ science of violence prevention .” In the wake of the May 24, 2022, massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Boxer has revisited that research anew – and other research conducted since then – for insights on what can be done to reduce the risk of school shootings in the future. Here he offers five policy changes – based on his findings – that can be implemented to achieve that end.

1. Dramatically limit access to guns

Gun regulation matters.

When my colleagues and I looked at gun regulations on a state-by-state basis, we found that more restrictive gun laws are associated with lower rates of homicides by guns .

This relation held even after we took demographic, economic and educational factors into account. Others researchers have found that “permissive firearm laws and higher rates of gun ownership” were linked with higher rates of school shootings .

What these results essentially mean is that in states where it is more difficult to acquire a gun, fewer people are killed by guns. Examples of these restrictions are raising the age for legal purchase, imposing lengthy waiting periods before access, requiring meaningful background checks, and more. These and similar measures – for example, eliminating access for individuals at a high risk of committing violence, such as the perpetrators of domestic violence – all move toward making it significantly harder to access guns, which would reduce gun violence substantially.

Placing meaningful restrictions or outright bans on firearm equipment associated with greater lethality, such as assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, should also lower the number of people being killed by firearms. Research already has shown that greater access to guns is associated with higher numbers of gun deaths.

2. Use more violence risk assessments in schools

In the years since the Columbine shooting in 1999, researchers and federal law enforcement agencies have studied school shootings and developed risk assessments to gauge the likelihood of actual violence by a young person identified as a possible risk.

These assessments are conducted by professionals that include police officers, school officials and teachers. They also involve mental health professionals, such as school counselors and psychologists. Together, these professionals all consult with one another to determine a young person’s risk for violence.

These teams may not be able to prevent every possible incident. Still, this sort of approach is critical to improving the process of identifying and stopping potential shooters overall. Guidance on how to use these assessments is freely available and based in extensive applied research. For example, in one 2015 study , the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines – a set of guidelines for the investigation of a reported threat, thorough assessment of the individual making the threat, and preventive or protective measures to be taken in response – were shown to reduce rates of student aggression . They were also shown to lower out-of-school suspension rates while improving teacher and student perceptions of safety.

3. Expand evidence-based strategies to reduce violent behavior

To help reduce the number of youths who grow up to become violent, governmental agencies could increase the availability and use of evidence-based interventions in schools.

Aggressive and violent behavior has been shown by research to emerge from a mix of personal and environmental risk factors . The factors include impulsivity, callousness, exposure to violence and victimization.

In light of this research, effective approaches were developed to prevent aggression by teaching students to problem-solve for better responses to peer conflict. They also teach students to think carefully about others’ motivations when they feel provoked.

Programs shown to reduce aggressive behavior typically train youths who already have exhibited some aggression on new and better coping skills for managing stress and anger. And for youths who have become seriously violent, treatments teach new, constructive behavioral and communication skills to youths and their caregivers. The treatments also help young people develop better relationships with family members and school personnel.

4. Make school buildings safer

The Robb Elementary School shooter entered the school building through a door that reportedly malfunctioned . This highlights the absolute importance for schools to take and maintain physical security measures.

In the wake of school shootings, schools often turn to solutions such as upgraded camera surveillance or increased law enforcement .

These measures can have mixed effects on students’ perceptions of safety and support – cameras posted outside appear to increase felt safety, whereas cameras posted inside seem to promote unease.

Increased law enforcement presence might make teachers feel safer in school. But it also might criminalize student misbehavior without actually making schools safer .

Still, there are number of ways for schools to improve physical security without increasing student anxiety or needlessly deploying law enforcement. For example, in one large study, students were less likely to skip school because of safety concerns when metal detectors were used at school entry points . In that study, those metal detectors also reduced the likelihood of weapons being brought into schools.

5. Reduce exposure to violence through media and social media

Entertainment media and social media are saturated with violent images of physical assaults, gun violence and gore. Exposure to and participation in virtual violence might not lead to aggressive behavior for all children and adolescents. But watching violent programs and playing violent video games can lead to increased hostility , aggressive feelings , emotional desensitization to violence and ultimately aggressive behavior . These effects can potentially be lessened by reducing the amount of screen violence to which children and adolescents are exposed over time, particularly early in development.

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Presidential Speeches

February 15, 2018: statement on the school shooting in parkland, florida, about this speech.

Donald Trump

February 15, 2018

President Trump makes a statement about the school shooting that took place on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people were killed. 

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THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, today I speak to a nation in grief. Yesterday, a school filled with innocent children and caring teachers became the scene of terrible violence, hatred, and evil.

Around 2:30 yesterday afternoon, police responded to reports of gunfire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—a great and safe community. There, a shooter, who is now in custody, opened fire on defenseless students and teachers. He murdered 17 people and badly wounded at least 14 others.

Our entire nation, with one heavy heart, is praying for the victims and their families. To every parent, teacher, and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you—whatever you need, whatever we can do, to ease your pain. We are all joined together as one American family, and your suffering is our burden also.

No child, no teacher, should ever be in danger in an American school. No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning.

Each person who was stolen from us yesterday had a full life ahead of them—a life filled with wondrous beauty and unlimited potential and promise. Each one had dreams to pursue, love to give, and talents to share with the world. And each one had a family to whom they meant everything in the world.

Today, we mourn for all of those who lost their lives. We comfort the grieving and the wounded. And we hurt for the entire community of Parkland, Florida that is now in shock, in pain, and searching for answers.

To law enforcement, first responders, and teachers who responded so bravely in the face of danger: We thank you for your courage. Soon after the shooting, I spoke with Governor Scott to convey our deepest sympathies to the people of Florida and our determination to assist in any way that we can. I also spoke with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.

I’m making plans to visit Parkland to meet with families and local officials, and to continue coordinating the federal response.

In these moments of heartache and darkness, we hold on to God’s word in scripture: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you.”

We trust in that promise, and we hold fast to our fellow Americans in their time of sorrow.

I want to speak now directly to America’s children, especially those who feel lost, alone, confused or even scared: I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be. You have people who care about you, who love you, and who will do anything at all to protect you. If you need help, turn to a teacher, a family member, a local police officer, or a faith leader. Answer hate with love; answer cruelty with kindness.

We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life, that creates deep and meaningful human connections, and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends and neighbors.

Our administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything we can. We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health.

Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorney generals, where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority. It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference. We must actually make that difference.

In times of tragedy, the bonds that sustain us are those of family, faith, community, and country. These bonds are stronger than the forces of hatred and evil, and these bonds grow even stronger in the hours of our greatest need.

And so always, but especially today, let us hold our loved ones close, let us pray for healing and for peace, and let us come together as one nation to wipe away the tears and strive for a much better tomorrow.

Thank you. And God Bless you all. Thank you very much.

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NRA speakers unshaken on gun rights after school massacre

Former president Donald Trump speaks during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

People gather outside the George R. Brown Convention Center to protest the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Mounted police officers tell protesters to move back across the street from the National Rifle Association annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

NRA executive vice president Wayne Lapierre, right, introduces former president Donald Trump to speak during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Protesters chant slogans outside the George R. Brown Convention Center to protest the National Rifle Association annual meeting in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Nancy Pablo, with the Alianza Latina International, holds crosses with photos of victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting as she protests with others at Discovery Green Park across the street from the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

A counter-protester, left in red, is shouted down and has his megaphone taken away by rally attendees for pro-gun control efforts at Discovery Green Park, across the street from the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Protesters hold up their signs condemning the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting outside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A protester holds a sign bearing the names of this week’s elementary school shooting victims during a rally against the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting outside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tejano singer Little Joe, left, with Little Joe y la Familia, speaks next to Houston civil rights activist Johnny Mata, right, during a press conference by the League of United Latin American Citizens outside of the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

A counter protester, center, is shouted down and has his megaphone taken away by rally attendees for pro-gun control efforts at Discovery Green Park, across the street from the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

A member of the National Rifle Association plugs his ears with his fingers as he walks past protesters during the NRA’s annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Protesters hold a rally at Discovery Green Park, across the street from the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

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HOUSTON (AP) — One by one, they took the stage at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston and denounced the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school across the state. And one by one, they insisted that further restricting access to firearms was not the answer to preventing future tragedies.

“The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens,” said former President Donald Trump, who was among the Republicans who lined up to speak before the gun rights lobbying group Friday as thousands of protesters angry about gun violence demonstrated outside.

“The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens,” he said Friday.

The gathering came just three days after the shooting in Uvalde and as the nation grappled with revelations that students trapped inside a classroom with the gunman repeatedly called 911 during the attack — one pleading “Please send the police now” — as officers waited in the hallway for more than 45 minutes.

The NRA had said that convention attendees would “reflect on” the shooting at the event and “pray for the victims, recognize our patriotic members and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools secure.”

The meeting was the first for the troubled organization since 2019, following a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has been trying to regroup following a period of serious legal and financial turmoil that included a failed bankruptcy effort, a class-action lawsuit and a fraud investigation by New York’s attorney general. Once among the most powerful political organizations in the country, the NRA has seen its influence wane following a significant drop in political spending.

Wayne LaPierre, the group’s embattled chief executive, opened the program with remarks bemoaning the “21 beautiful lives ruthlessly and indiscriminately extinguished by a criminal monster.”

Still, he said that “restricting the fundamental human rights of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is not the answer. It never has been.”

Later, several hundred people in the auditorium stood and bowed their heads in a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting. Several thousand people were inside the auditorium during the speeches, which appeared fewer than the number gathered outside. Many seats were empty.

Trump accused Democrats of trying to exploit the tragedy and demonizing gun owners.

“When Joe Biden blamed the gun lobby he was talking about Americans like you,” Trump said, referring to the president’s emotional plea in a national address asking, “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”

Trump called for overhauling school security and the nation’s approach to mental health, telling the group every school building should have a single point of entry, strong exterior fencing, metal detectors and hardened classroom doors and every school should have a police officer or armed guard on duty at all times. He also called yet again for trained teachers to be able to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.

He and other speakers overlooked the security upgrades that were already in place at the elementary school and did not stop the gunman, who entered the building through a back door that had been propped open.

According to a district safety plan, Uvalde schools have a wide range of safety measures in place. The district had four police officers and four support counselors, according to the plan, which appears to be dated from the 2019-20 school year. It also had software to monitor social media for threats and software to screen school visitors.

Security experts say the Uvalde case illustrates how fortifying schools can backfire. A lock on the classroom door, for instance — one of the most basic and widely recommended school safety measures — kept victims in and police out.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who, like Trump, is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2024, railed against Democrats’ calls for universal background checks for gun purchases and bans of assault-style weapons and instead pointed to broken families, declining church attendance, social media bullying and video games as the real problems.

“Tragedies like the event of this week are a mirror forcing us to ask hard questions, demanding that we see where our culture is failing,” he said. “We must not react to evil and tragedy by abandoning the Constitution or infringing on the rights of our law-abiding citizens.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, another potential presidential contender, said calls to further restrict gun access are “all about control and it is garbage. I’m not buying it for a second and you shouldn’t, either.”

Some scheduled speakers and performers backed out of the event, including several Texas lawmakers and “American Pie” singer Don McLean, who said “it would be disrespectful” to go ahead with his act after the country’s latest mass shooting. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday morning that he had decided not to speak at an event breakfast after “prayerful consideration and discussion with NRA officials.”

“While a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an NRA member, I would not want my appearance today to bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all those suffering in Uvalde,” he wrote in a statement.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was to attend, addressed the convention by prerecorded video instead.

Outside the convention hall, protesters gathered in a park where police set up metal barriers — some holding crosses with photos of the Uvalde shooting victims.

“Murderers!” some yelled in Spanish. “Shame on you!” others shouted at attendees.

Among the protesters was singer Little Joe, of the popular Tejano band Little Joe y La Familia, who said in the more than 60 years he’s spent touring the world, no other country he’s been to has faced as many mass shootings as the U.S.

“Of course, this is the best country in the world,” he said. “But what good does it do us if we can’t protect lives, especially of our children?”

Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Abbott in the governor’s race, ticked off a list of previous school shootings and called on those attending the convention to “join us to make sure that this no longer happens in this country.”

While Biden and Democrats in Congress have renewed calls for stricter gun laws after the Uvalde shooting, NRA board members and others attending the conference dismissed talk of banning or limiting access to firearms.

Samuel Thornburg, 43, a maintenance worker for Southwest Airlines in Houston who was attending the NRA meeting, said: “Guns are not evil. It’s the people that are committing the crime that are evil. Our schools need to be more locked. There need to be more guards.”

There is precedent for the NRA to gather during local mourning and controversy. The organization went ahead with a shortened version of its 1999 meeting in Denver roughly a week after the deadly shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Texas has experienced a series of mass shootings in recent years . During that time, the Republican-led Legislature and governor have relaxed gun laws.

Most U.S. adults think that mass shootings would occur less often if guns were harder to get and believe schools and other public places have become less safe than they were two decades ago, polling finds.

Many specific measures that would curb access to guns or ammunition also get majority support. A May AP-NORC poll found, for instance, that 51% of U.S. adults favor a nationwide ban on the sale of AR-15 rifles and similar semiautomatic weapons. But the numbers are highly partisan, with 75% percent of Democrats agreeing versus just 27% of Republicans.

Though personal firearms are allowed at the convention, guns were not permitted during the session featuring Trump because of Secret Service security protocols.

Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed from Jefferson City, Missouri.

More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings .

Most Teachers Worry a Shooting Could Happen at Their School

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After years of efforts by administrators and policymakers to improve school safety, a majority of teachers are at least somewhat concerned about a shooting occurring at their school, and 7 percent say they are “extremely” worried.

That’s according to a Pew Research Center Survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers released April 11, in which respondents identified improved mental health screening for children and adults as the top strategy to prevent shootings.

The findings of the nationally representative survey, conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023, come as the nation approaches the 25-year commemoration of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.—an event that changed conversations about school safety and helped fuel precautions like routine lockdown drills, which were conducted by 96 percent of public schools in the 2021-22 school year, according to the most recent federal data.

While mass school shootings are statistically rare events, their pace and scale have accelerated since the April 20, 1999 Columbine attack. Teachers’ responses demonstrate how much the fear of the worst-case scenario has shaped their experiences at work.

1. Teachers are concerned about a potential shooting at their school

Asked if they were concerned about a shooting occurring at their school, just 7 percent of respondents said “not at all.”

Educators, policymakers, and the public use varying criteria related to determine what is considered a school shooting; some limit their discussions to mass-casualty events that occur inside school buildings during school hours. But attacks at sporting events, during extracurricular activities, and in school parking lots can also create safety concerns, educators say.

There have been 10 school shootings in 2024 that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis. That count includes incidents during school-sponsored events and on school grounds, like a March 2 shooting outside of a high school basketball game in North Kansas City, Mo.

2. Many teachers say their schools could do more to prepare them for an active shooter

While a majority of respondents said their school has done at least a “good” job “providing them with the training and resources they need to deal with a potential active shooter in their school,” 39 percent said their school has done a “fair” or “poor job.”

Rural teachers were most likely to say their school had done an “excellent” or “very good” job preparing them, while teachers in urban schools were the least likely to agree with that statement.

While lawmakers’ calls to “harden schools” with physical security measures like metal detectors and armed school staff often get the most attention following a high-profile shooting, school safety experts have stressed prevention and preparing staff through procedures like basic lockdown drills.

3. Lockdowns disrupt school for students and teachers

While shootings are rare, the potential of a shooting causes regular disruptions for students and educators, who lock down classrooms as a precaution. Suspicious people near a school, reports of guns in classrooms, or threats can all prompt a lockdown.

Twenty-three percent of respondents to the Pew survey said their school went into lockdown at least once in the 2022-23 school year “because of a gun or suspicion of a gun on school property.” And 8 percent of teachers said their school had more than one gun-related lockdown.

Lockdowns were most common in high schools and in urban areas, teachers reported.

4. Teachers favor mental health support as a prevention strategy

Asked about a menu of strategies, respondents were most likely to say that “improving mental health screening and treatment for children and adults” would help prevent school shootings. Sixty-nine percent rated mental health as an “extremely” or “very” effective prevention strategy.

The survey did not specify who would be responsible for improved mental health supports. But many schools have sought to upgrade their counseling supports as they face a student mental health crisis. School-based mental health screenings have faced resistance from parents and policymakers concerned about student privacy, stigmatization, and possible civil rights violations if the results aren’t used properly.

Allowing teachers and administrators to carry guns was the least supported strategy, with just 13 percent of respondents agreeing it would be “extremely” or “very” effective.

Teachers’ support for prevention strategies varied based on political affiliation. The biggest difference based on political affiliation was in support of “having police officers or armed security stationed in schools.” Among respondents who identified as Democrat or “lean Democrat,” 37 percent said the strategy would be “extremely” or “very effective” at preventing school shootings, compared to 69 percent of self-identified Republican or “lean Republican” respondents.

Research suggests that , while school police do mitigate some types of violence in schools, their presence also correlates with increased student suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. There are also limited examples of school resource officers stopping school shootings, though advocates argue they may serve as a deterrent for would-be attackers.

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About 1 in 4 u.s. teachers say their school went into a gun-related lockdown in the last school year.

Twenty-five years after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado , a majority of public K-12 teachers (59%) say they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting ever happening at their school. This includes 18% who say they’re extremely or very worried, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand public K-12 teachers’ views on school shootings, how prepared they feel for a potential active shooter, and how they feel about policies that could help prevent future shootings.

To do this, we surveyed 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023. The teachers are members of RAND’s American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative panel of public school K-12 teachers recruited through MDR Education. Survey data is weighted to state and national teacher characteristics to account for differences in sampling and response to ensure they are representative of the target population.

We also used data from our 2022 survey of U.S. parents. For that project, we surveyed 3,757 U.S. parents with at least one child younger than 18 from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2, 2022. Find more details about the survey of parents here .

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

Another 31% of teachers say they are not too worried about a shooting occurring at their school. Only 7% of teachers say they are not at all worried.

This survey comes at a time when school shootings are at a record high (82 in 2023) and gun safety continues to be a topic in 2024 election campaigns .

Teachers’ experiences with lockdowns

About a quarter of teachers (23%) say they experienced a lockdown in the 2022-23 school year because of a gun or suspicion of a gun at their school. Some 15% say this happened once during the year, and 8% say this happened more than once.

High school teachers are most likely to report experiencing these lockdowns: 34% say their school went on at least one gun-related lockdown in the last school year. This compares with 22% of middle school teachers and 16% of elementary school teachers.

Teachers in urban schools are also more likely to say that their school had a gun-related lockdown. About a third of these teachers (31%) say this, compared with 19% of teachers in suburban schools and 20% in rural schools.

Do teachers feel their school has prepared them for an active shooter?

About four-in-ten teachers (39%) say their school has done a fair or poor job providing them with the training and resources they need to deal with a potential active shooter.

A smaller share (30%) give their school an excellent or very good rating, and another 30% say their school has done a good job preparing them.

Teachers in urban schools are the least likely to say their school has done an excellent or very good job preparing them for a potential active shooter. About one-in-five (21%) say this, compared with 32% of teachers in suburban schools and 35% in rural schools.

Teachers who have police officers or armed security stationed in their school are more likely than those who don’t to say their school has done an excellent or very good job preparing them for a potential active shooter (36% vs. 22%).

Overall, 56% of teachers say they have police officers or armed security stationed at their school. Majorities in rural schools (64%) and suburban schools (56%) say this, compared with 48% in urban schools.

Only 3% of teachers say teachers and administrators at their school are allowed to carry guns in school. This is slightly more common in school districts where a majority of voters cast ballots for Donald Trump in 2020 than in school districts where a majority of voters cast ballots for Joe Biden (5% vs. 1%).

What strategies do teachers think could help prevent school shootings?

The survey also asked teachers how effective some measures would be at preventing school shootings.

Most teachers (69%) say improving mental health screening and treatment for children and adults would be extremely or very effective.

About half (49%) say having police officers or armed security in schools would be highly effective, while 33% say the same about metal detectors in schools.

Just 13% say allowing teachers and school administrators to carry guns in schools would be extremely or very effective at preventing school shootings. Seven-in-ten teachers say this would be not too or not at all effective.

How teachers’ views differ by party

Republican and Republican-leaning teachers are more likely than Democratic and Democratic-leaning teachers to say each of the following would be highly effective:

• Having police officers or armed security in schools (69% vs. 37%)
• Having metal detectors in schools (43% vs. 27%)
• Allowing teachers and school administrators to carry guns in schools (28% vs. 3%)

And while majorities in both parties say improving mental health screening and treatment would be highly effective at preventing school shootings, Democratic teachers are more likely than Republican teachers to say this (73% vs. 66%).

Parents’ views on school shootings and prevention strategies

In fall 2022, we asked parents a similar set of questions about school shootings.

Roughly a third of parents with K-12 students (32%) said they were extremely or very worried about a shooting ever happening at their child’s school. An additional 37% said they were somewhat worried.

As is the case among teachers, improving mental health screening and treatment was the only strategy most parents (63%) said would be extremely or very effective at preventing school shootings. And allowing teachers and school administrators to carry guns in schools was seen as the least effective – in fact, half of parents said this would be not too or not at all effective. This question was asked of all parents with a child younger than 18, regardless of whether they have a child in K-12 schools.

Like teachers, parents’ views on strategies for preventing school shootings differed by party. 

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Most US teachers worry about school shootings, survey finds

(Reuters) - A solid majority of U.S. teachers go to work each day anxious that a shooting will unfold at their school, a trend that has paralleled the rising number of such incidents across the U.S., a report released on Friday showed.

A Pew Research Center survey of about 2,500 teachers showed that more than half of them were at least somewhat concerned and another 18% were extremely or very worried about the possibility of a shooting at their school.

Gun control and school safety have become major political and social issues in the U.S. where the number of school shootings has jumped in recent years.

There were 912 school shootings between 2021 and 2023, more than three times as many as any other three year-period in four decades of data collection, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website.

The survey, conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023, indicated that 31% of teachers in urban schools had a gun-related lockdown during the 2022-23 school year, 10 percentage points higher than teachers in both suburban and rural schools.

Only three out of 10 teachers indicated that their school had done an excellent or very good job preparing them for an active shooter, the survey showed.

More than three-fifths of teachers surveyed said improved mental health screening and treatment for children and adults would be extremely or very effective at preventing shootings. Half said police officers or armed security in schools would be highly effective.

More than a quarter of teachers who lean Republican and only 3% of who lean Democrat thought allowing teachers and school staff to carry weapons would be highly effective in stopping school shootings.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio)

Most US teachers worry about school shootings, survey finds

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