What to Know

Firearm-related injuries and deaths are a public health crisis that communities across the nation face every day:

• Since 2018, there have been more than 100 school shooting incidents per year in our country and those numbers have steadily increased.i
• Approximately three-quarters of perpetrators in school-based active shooter situations acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.ii This illustrates the close connection between your role as families, caregivers, and guardians in keeping students safe while on school grounds.
• However, this issue goes beyond school-based active shooter situations and includes a variety of firearm injury types, including interpersonal violence, suicide, and unintentional fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries.iii
• More than 4 million children live in a household with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm. Studies have found that households with both locked firearms and locked ammunition have significantly lower risks of self-inflicted firearm injuries and even lower risks of unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens compared to households that did not safely store firearms.