Keeping Schools Safe from Firearm Violence

Research can help school leaders make trauma-informed, evidence-based decisions to keep students safe from gun violence.

August 31, 2022

With a new school year beginning and the horrific May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, still fresh in the public consciousness, many are wondering how their local school communities can best safeguard themselves from gun violence and its associated impacts. As new ideas are introduced into the discussion and old ideas are recycled, it is imperative that school leaders and other policymakers have the evidence they need to implement sound policies and strategies.

This research series from the Rockefeller Institute’s Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (RGVRC) presents school community stakeholders with important data, strategies, and policy recommendations for keeping students safe from firearm-involved violence.

As new research is published it will be added here. Read the series below.

What We Know About Foiled and Failed Mass School Shootings

Using data from 2000 to 2019, this brief examines completed, attempted, failed, and foiled mass shootings in schools for insights into shooter demographics, target selection, and mechanisms for thwarting these events.

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Lockdown Drills: A Widely Used Yet Often Misunderstood Practice

An overview of the scholarly evidence surrounding lockdown drills and best practice considerations.

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Overview of The American School Shooting Study

This brief reviews the creation of The American School Shooting Study (TASSS), a national-level database using open-source information, to examine school shootings in the United States and provide policymakers with the information they need to develop meaningful policies.

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The Effects of Firearm Violence on Children

This brief describe the impact of exposure to violence on youth, reviews factors that are protective, highlights prevention strategies and interventions, and shares implications for policy.

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