WASHINGTON—Twenty-five years ago, two students walked into Columbine High School with assault rifles. Then there was Sandy Hook Elementary School … and Parkland High School … and Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School. Since Columbine, more than 370,000 students have experienced gun violence in more than 400 school shootings during the school day. Today, the National Education Association, in partnership with the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, released the NEA School Gun Violence Prevention and Response Guide. This comprehensive guide provides resources, tools, and practical recommendations to equip educators and others in the school community to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from gun violence in Pre-K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.
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The NEA School Gun Violence Prevention and Response Guide confronts the urgent issue of gun violence in our schools, focusing on how to safeguard students, educators, and the entire school environment. It strives to thwart recurring shootings by emphasizing collaborative efforts among educators, schools, administrators, and communities to effectively address gun-related tragedies.
“Every student in America — Black or White, Asian or Latino, native or newcomer—deserves a welcoming and safe learning environment, free from the fear of gun violence in their school or community,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “Our schools should be the safest place in any community. While we wish this type of guidance wasn’t even necessary, the reality is that we need to step up to not only prevent future instances of gun violence but also equip schools and communities with the knowledge of how to respond when another tragedy occurs.”
“We cannot—and will not—normalize the fact that our children live in fear of being shot in their classrooms,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “This new guide is a powerful tool in our movement, providing schools with the resources they need not only to prevent gun violence but also to heal from the trauma when it does occur. As guns continue to be the number one killer of young people in America, we are proud to partner with the NEA to equip educators across the country with evidence-based solutions that keep our children and our communities safe.”
The guide provides resources, tools, and practical guidance to address gun violence, including through the creation of safe and welcoming environments, adoption of evidence-based strategies like common-sense gun laws, building robust community partnerships, and adopting trauma-informed practices before, during, and after gun violence incidents.
“As educators who work with students daily, NEA members know that our current reality of pervasive gun violence has created deep stress among students, educators, and families and the need to redouble our efforts to end such senseless tragedies,” added Pringle.
The United States suffers from an epidemic of gun violence, where guns are now the leading cause of death for children, teens, and college-aged people in the country. Every day, more than 120 people are killed by guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded. From January to May 2024, there have been at least 107 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 29 deaths and 61 injuries nationally, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
Gun violence shakes the lives of millions of people in this country who witness it, who know the victims, or who live in fear of the next shooting. Fifty-nine percent of adults or someone they know or care about has experienced gun violence in their lifetime. Approximately 3 million American children witness gun violence every year. Gun violence has a profoundly harmful impact on students, educators, families, and communities.
“The NEA remains committed to eradicating the devastating impact of gun violence,” said Pringle. “Choosing inaction is akin to tolerating what ought to be intolerable for each and every one of us.”
To access the guide, visit https://www.nea.org/resource-library/gun-violence-prevention-response-guide
