Keep Guns off Campus

~2 in 3

Nearly two-thirds of transgender and gender noncomforming college students have thought about attempting suicide in the past year.

$2M

Three Kansas universities estimated that it would cost nearly $2 million to secure their athletic facilities in order to comply with the Kansas law that forces colleges to allow guns on campus if they don’t implement adequate security.

46%

46 percent of college students reported using illicit drugs in 2020.

Allowing people to carry guns on campus will make them safer.

Campuses are already relatively safe: Among all violent crime against college students from 1995 through 2002, 93 percent of incidents took place off campus.¹Katrina Baum and Patsy Klaus, “Violent Victimization of College Students, 1995-2002,” US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, January 2005, https://bit.ly/3orQ4iA. According to Everytown for Gun Safety’s tracking of incidents of gunfire on school grounds, an average of 10 gun homicides occur on college campuses each year, while almost 20 million students attend colleges or universities.²Analysis of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Gunfire on School Grounds in the United States database, total gun homicide victims, excluding the shooter, on the grounds of colleges or universities between 2015 and 2019. For more information visit https://everytownresearch.org/gunfire-in-school/; US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, “Digest of Education Statistics, 2019, Table 105.30: Enrollment in Elementary, Secondary, and Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions, by Level and Control of Institution: Selected Years, 1869-70 through Fall 2029,” December 2019, https://bit.ly/2LH5GR9.

Featured Resources

The Danger of Guns on Campus

Guns on campus are likely to lead to more shootings, homicides, and suicides, and they’re unlikely to prevent mass shootings.

Gunfire on School Grounds

Since 2013, Everytown has tracked incidents of gunfire on school grounds to learn how often youth are affected by gun violence.

Data Tracker

Collage depicting a ruler with lined notebook paper and a student wearing a backpack

How To Stop Shootings and Gun Violence in Schools: A Plan to Keep Students Safe

We need meaningful actions to keep our schools safe, actions that address what we know about gun violence in America’s schools.

Keep Guns off Campus

NEA School Gun Violence Prevention and Response Guide

We published the guide’s four sections—on prevention, preparation, response, and recovery—separately to facilitate their use. Each part includes material for Pre-K–12 schools and institutions of…

A black-and-white image of a school bus is in the foreground, with a father and daughter getting out of a car and walking into the school pictured in the bottom left of the image. Two yellow-and-blue circles are superimposed on the image; one is at the bottom left, highlighting the father/daughter, and one is on the top right, highlighting the sign on the bus that reads

Gun Violence Is Down in Our Cities. Why Not Also in Our Schools?

Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks Into Schools

During the 2023–2024 school year, there were 49 deaths from gunfire on US school grounds and an additional 116 injuries.

A black-and-white photo of two students sitting at a desk, looking at a teacher who is standing at a whiteboard. The photo is overlaid with a yellow and blue circle.

How Can We Prevent Gun Violence in American Schools?

School leaders and policymakers must support and implement strong gun safety laws and school-based interventions.

Cómo detener los tiroteos y la violencia armada en las escuelas: Un plan para mantener seguros a los estudiantes

Necesitamos acciones significativas para mantener nuestras escuelas y las comunidades circundantes seguras en los Estados Unidos.

The Impact of Active Shooter Drills in Schools

Since the 1999 Columbine shooting, active shooter drills have proliferated in America’s school systems at an exponential rate.

Keeping Our Schools Safe: A Plan for Preventing Mass Shootings and Ending All Gun Violence in American Schools

The failure of our leaders to address the root causes of school gun violence is having lasting consequences for millions of children.

Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines

Many of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States have been carried out with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Fatal Gaps

More than ten years after the Virginia Tech shooting, progress in closing the gaps in state mental health records submissions is evident in several…