Investigation of school shootings at national and state level as well as mental health implications

Since the shootout in the Columbine School in 1999, over 420 shootings have been written at school in the United States. More than 160 of these shootings occurred after the start of Covid 19 pandemic, which indicates a significant increase. While in 2024 the beginning of a decline in the number of mass shootings per year has been marked since the beginning of the pandemic, this trend did not apply to school shootings, the number of which has so far been consistently high. Although school shootings continue to make a small part of the total violence of the firearm, they can have a widespread influence that goes beyond physical damage. According to the Washington Post, at least 390,000 students of a school series were exposed to (the exposure is defined as a student who attended a school on which a shot occurred in the current school year) since the Columbine shootings from 1999.

This brief analysis of the rate of the school rate of the school's shootout over time. While these exposure often occur at the community level, this brief exposure quantifies at the state and national level to make comparisons. Individual state guidelines can play a role in their exposure rates. A KFF analysis showed that states with more restrictive firearms laws generally have a lower youth warrior morale than states with fewer firearms. The exposure rate of school shootings depends on factors, including the size of the school registration and state population. Therefore, even a single school shots in a federal state can affect many young people about those who are physically injured and can significantly increase the exposure rates. The most important results include:

• The average annual rate of the student of the students compared to a school series has increased three times over time (from 19 per 100,000 students from 1999 to 2004 to 51 in 2020-2024).
• From 2020 to 2024, the rate of the school's shootout per 100,000 pupils in Delaware (359), DC (356), Utah (166), Arkansas (130) and Nevada (127) was the highest.
• Children who are exposed to weapons can have serious adverse effects, including anxiety, PTSD, suicide risk and substance consumption problems. Some security measures in schools such as active shooters can also have a negative impact on the mental health of the students.

How has the fighting of the school's shootings changed over time among the students?

Since 1999 the rate of students who have been exposed to a school series has tripled, with the majority of the increase in the Pandemie years (2020-2024) occurring (Figure 1). The KFF analysis of the Washington Post school recordings showed that the average annual rate of the school shootout in the school shootings rose from 19 per 100,000 in 1999 to 2004 to 51 in 2020-2024.

Delaware, the Columbia, Utah, Nevada and Arkansas district, have had the highest rate of shootings since pandemic. From 2020 to 2024, at least twice as high as the US average exposure rate (51 per 100,000 students) became at least twice as high from 2020 to 2024. The rate per 100,000 students was highest in Delaware (359), DC (356), Utah (166), Arkansas (130) and Nevada (Figure 2). Note that the students' exposure rates can vary greatly due to factors such as the enrollment of students and the state population. For example, Delaware and DC had low student populations (under 200,000) from 2020 to 2024, which made their exposure rates more volatile than in the conditions with a higher population, and a small number of shootings could create a high rate. For more information, see methods.

While the exposure towards school slates approached during the pandemic, several states, including Washington State and Maryland, have had exposure rates than the US average in recent decades (Figure 3). Since 1999, the exposure rates in Washington have remained in or over the national average exposure rats-in one thing the lowest annual rate of the state in 2010-2014 (25 per 100,000 students) up to the highest average annual rate of the state in 2020-2024 (62). Similarly, Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina and Nevada have often enforced the training rates for the school shots, which are higher than the national average rate. In some states, an increase in exposure rates were consistently recorded over time, including Florida (an annual average of 13 per 100,000 students in 1999-2004 to 52 in 2020-2024) and Georgia (from an annual average rate from 12 in 1999-2004 in the years 2020-2024).

In contrast, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming have had no school shots in school shootings since 1999. There may have been incidents of shots from the school premises in these states that did not meet the criteria of the Washington Post for school shootings.

How do the exposure to school slides and efforts work to alleviate them, the mental health and the well -being of the students?

Although school shootings are responsible for a small part of the gun violence, they are linked Consequences for pupils and municipalities as a whole on negative mental health. Youth antidepressants and suicide risk can increase in municipalities with exposure to school shootings. In a broader sense, exposure to weapons violence is associated with other mental health problems in young people with post -traumatic stress disorder and fear. Weapon violence can also lead to challenges in school performance, including increased absenteeism and difficulties to concentrate. A survey before pandemic also showed that the majority of teenagers and their parents were at least a little concern that an increase in school can take place in their school. Although the investigations are limited to how mass shootings affect people who are not exposed to them directly, the current literature suggests that information and knowledge of mass shootings can be associated with an increased degree of fear and fear.

Measures to combat school power as the placement of school officials and the use of metal detectors-can also have a negative impact on the well-being of students and their feeling of security. Fifty percent of public schools stated that during the school year 2023-2024, having a curved law enforcement officer (Sleo) such as a police officer or a resource representative on the campus. While many public schools feel that Slos have a positive impact on the school community, proof that they reduce weapons or school shootings. In addition, among the school shootings in which a Sleo was involved, the civil servant who shot an unarmed student or employee. Although almost all (92%) public schools with Slos report that these officials wear a firearm, just more than half of these schools have a written guideline for the expectations of firearms at the Sleos. In addition, the placement of these officials on the school premises can have a negative impact on the color students, since they are more likely to expose disciplinary measures than their white colleagues. Regardless of this, 8% of public schools indicate to carry out metal detectors at school stands for all or most students and 14% of public schools with random metal detector tests for students. While these detectors are used as a security measure, there is not enough data to show that they reduce the risk of violence behavior from school limits. In addition, the presence of metal detectors can damage the safety of the students at school.

Further security measures are written action plans and exercises in the event of an active shooter, the latter being associated with psychological damage among the participants. While 98% of public schools had a written procedure during the school year 2023-2024 to cope with an active shooter, stated that only 27% of these schools “felt very prepared” for an active shooter situation. In addition, many public schools drill pupils in emergency barrier and evacuation procedures for school shootings with different levels of intensity, with some being mentally harmful to the participants. A longitudinal study on children who are exposed to shooting in Texas showed that the effects of arms for weapons in schools – such as chronic absenteeism and economic consequences – even if shootings do not lead to death in school, can follow early adulthood. Similarly, it is not completely avoidable if schools properly perform a plan created in advance. For example, officials praised the recent shootings in a school in Madison, Wisconsin, the well -executed reaction from authorities, but injuries and death still occurred.

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