Between 1970 and June 16, 2020, 175 school shootings were perpetrated by 17-year-olds. 16-year-olds perpetrated the second highest number of school shootings, with 163 shootings.

Since 1982, an astonishing 145 mass shootings have been carried out in the United States by male shooters. In contrast, only four mass shootings (defined by the source as a single attack in a public place in which four or more victims were killed) have been carried out by women. Gun ownership in the U.S. Possession of firearms in the United States is protected by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution and has been a defining aspect of American civil liberties since the writing of the Bill of Rights. It is estimated that the United States has the highest rate of civilian-owned firearms in the world, and Americans continually poll against handgun restrictions. Mass shootings However, with high gun ownership comes high responsibility. The United States consistently faces numerous mass shootings each year, particularly in schools. The five deadliest mass shootings have all occurred since 2007, with the deadliest being the Las Vegas Strip massacre in 2017, which claimed the lives of 58 people and injured 546 more.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, the majority of public K-12 teachers agreed that improving mental health screening and treatment for children and adults would be extremely or very effective at preventing school shootings in the United States, with 69 percent sharing this belief. Having police officers or armed security stationed in schools was also seen as an extremely or very effective strategy against school shootings by 49 percent of public K-12 teachers, while 33 percent felt the same way about having metal detectors in schools. However, the least amount of support was directed towards allowing teachers and school administrators to carry guns in schools, with only 13 percent believing that this strategy would be extremely or very effective at preventing school shootings.

The statistic shows the number of victims of the worst mass shootings in western democratic countries from 1966 to 2012. On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed 26 people - 20 of them children aged 5 to 10 - in a shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. He committed suicide afterwards. Gun policy in the USA Over the last few years, mass shootings and accidents with children at shooting ranges have shaped national debates about the gun laws in the United States.

According to the Gallup survey across the United States in January 2014, 40 percent of the U.S. population stated they are totally satisfied with the existing gun laws in the United States, while 31 percent of the respondents stated they are dissatisfied, they want stricter laws.

The survey among American adults, which was conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2012 shortly after the Aurora movie theater shooting, on what they consider more important – the right to bear arms or controlling gun ownership, shows that 47 percent of the participants said the control of gun ownership is more important than the protection of the right to own guns.

The attitude towards gun control varies from generation to generation, 55 percent of the Millennials stated that controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting the gun rights, while 44 percent of the Silent generation stated the same.

The number of homicides by firearms has decreased over the last few years, 11,040 homicides by firearm were counted in 2003, while 9,960 homicides by firearm were counted in 2010. Homicide takes several forms, for example murder but homicide is not always a crime, it also includes affirmative defense, insanity, self-defense or the execution of convicted criminals.

America’s gun policy makes it possible for the American population to have a gun in their home on their own property, all U.S. states have imposed their own firearm restrictions. The percentage of Americans who have a gun in their home shifted from 40 percent in 1996 to 47 percent in 2011.

In the United States, Black people have higher rates of gun homicide than White people across all age groups. As of 2022, gun homicide rates were highest among Black people aged between 15 and 24 years, at 63.78 gun homicides per 100,000 of the population. In comparison, there were only 2.58 gun homicides per 100,000 of the White population within this age range. However, the risk for gun homicide was greatest among all adolescents and adults between the ages of 15 to 44 in that year. The impact of guns on young Americans In the last few years, firearms have become the leading cause of death for American children and teenagers aged one to 19 years old, accounting for more deaths than car crashes and diseases. School shootings also remain on the rise recently, with the U.S. recording 57 times as many school shootings than other high-income nations from 2009 to 2018. Black students in particular experience a disproportionately high number of school shootings relative to their population, and K-12 teachers at schools made up mostly of students of color are more likely to report feeling afraid that they or their students would be a victim of attack or harm. The right to bear arms Despite increasingly high rates of gun-related violence, gun ownership remains a significant part of American culture, largely due to the fact that the right to bear arms is written into the U.S. Constitution. Although firearms are the most common murder weapon used in the U.S., accounting for approximately 15,000 homicides in 2022, almost half of American households have at least one firearm in their possession. Consequently, it is evident that firearms remain easily accessible nationwide, even though gun laws may vary from state to state. However, the topic of gun control still causes political controversy, as the majority of Republicans agree that it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, while Democrats are more inclined to believe that it is more important to limit gun ownership.

As of June 2022, Americans were most strongly in favor of requiring criminal and mental background checks for all individuals buying guns, as well as raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 years old. Americans are least supportive of preventing people from carrying a concealed gun in public, and stationing armed guards at schools, and an outright ban on semi-automatic weapons.This survey was conducted shortly after the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas where two teachers and 19 students were killed.

In 2019, there were six deaths by homicide per 100,000 of the population in the United States, compared to 5.9 deaths by homicide in the previous year. This is an increase from 1950, when there were 5.1 deaths by homicide per 100,000 resident population in the United States. However, within the provided time period, the death rate for homicide in the U.S. was highest in 1980, when there were 10.4 deaths by homicide per 100,000 of the population in the United States.

Homicides in the United States

The term homicide is used when a human being is killed by another human being. Criminal homicide takes several forms, for example murder; but homicide is not always a crime, it also includes affirmative defense, insanity, self-defense or the execution of convicted criminals. In the United States, youth homicide has especially been seen as a problem of urban areas, due to poverty, limited adult supervision, involvement in drug and gang activities, and school failure. Both homicide rates and suicide rates in the U.S. among people aged 20 to 24 and teenagers aged 15 to 19 have vastly increased since 2001.

In 2021, there were about 123,000 serious violent crimes committed by youths between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States, an increase from the year before. However, this is still a significant decrease from 1994 levels, when violent crimes committed by youths hit a peak at over 1.05 million serious crimes.

Youth and crime

According to the most recent data, criminal youths in the United States continue to participate in violent crimes each year. In 2022, there were over 1,000 murder offenders between the ages of 13 and 16 in the United States. Studies have also shown that crimes are reported against children at U.S. schools, with students aged between 12 and 14 years found more likely to be victims of violent crime and theft. However, the number of adolescent violent crime victims in the U.S. far surpasses the number of adolescent perpetrators. The number of adolescent victims has also declined significantly since the early 1990s, following the national downward trend of violent crime.

Overall downward trends

There is not only a downward trend in the number of violent crimes committed by youths, but also in the share of crimes involving youths. On a national level, the crime rate has also decreased in almost every state, showing that the country is becoming safer as a whole.