%202.00_00_53_17.Still001.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Over the first 23 days of 2018, the United States saw 11 shootings at or near schools.
READ MORE: ‘I couldn’t move’ — Kentucky students recount deadly high school shooting
The latest occurred in Kentucky on Jan. 23, leaving two students dead and 18 others injured. It was the worst such case of 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of the shooting in a tweet Wednesday, saying he had also spoken with the state’s Gov. Matt Bevin.
WATCH: More coverage of recent U.S. school shootings
-
![]()
‘Emotionally wrecked’: Kentucky community struggling to cope after school shooting -
![]()
Kentucky students recount deadly high school shooting as they attempt to recover -
![]()
Mitch McConnell offers his thoughts on Kentucky school shooting -
![]()
15-year-old student airlifted to hospital after Texas school shooting -
![]()
Suspect in Kentucky School shooting to be charged with murder, attempted murder
Some of the shootings that occurred at or near schools did not lead to injuries.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a research and advocacy group that lobbies the government for stricter gun control laws, reports that since 2013 there has been an average of one school shooting per week. By that statistic, this year is already well above average for acts of school-related gun violence.
The advocacy organization also estimates that, on average, seven children or teens, under the age of 19, are killed with guns each day in the U.S.
These are the school-related shootings that have happened so far in 2018:
Jan. 3 — St. John, Mich.: A man shoots himself in the parking lot of East Olive Elementary School.
Jan. 4 — Seattle, Wash.: A bullet is fired into New Start High School, but no one is injured.
Jan. 6 — Forest City, Iowa: A 32-year-old man fires at a school bus, and one window is shattered. No one is injured.
Jan. 10 — San Bernardino, Calif.: No one is injured after a bullet hits a building at California State University.
Jan. 10 — Denison, Texas: A Grayson College student accidentally fires a weapon, no one is injured.
Jan. 10 — Sierra Vista, Ariz.: A 14-year-old boy is found shot dead inside a bathroom at Coronado K-8 Elementary School. It appears to be a self-inflicted wound.
Jan. 15 — Marshall, Texas: A bullet is fired into a dorm room at Wiley College, with three female students inside. No one is injured.
Get breaking National news
Jan. 20 — Winston-Salem, N.C.: A 21-year-old student is shot dead after an argument at Wake Forest University.
Jan. 22 — Italy, Texas: A 16-year-old boy shoots a female classmate at Italy High School.
Jan. 22 — New Orleans, La.: Shooting at Net Charter School leaves one male student injured.
Jan. 23 — Benton, Ky: High school shooting leaves two 15-year-old students dead, 18 injured.
Non-school related gun violence
While these are the shooting incidents that were school-related, several other acts of gun violence have occurred in the country since the year began.
According to Gun Violence Archive, an organization which tracks each gun-related event in the U.S., there have been 3,484 incidents in 2018. And 972 people have died.
READ MORE: Tougher gun laws not answer after Texas church shooting, Trump says
Forty-one children under the age of 11, have been killed.
And 181 teenagers, between 12-17, have lost their lives.
In 2017, there were a total of 61,437 incidents of gun violence in the country, with 15,583 deaths.
WATCH: Trump signals gun control debate will not be re-opened in the wake of Vegas shooting
Trump administration’s response to recent school shootings
On Wednesday, an NBC News reporter questioned White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on what action U.S. President Donald Trump is taking to curb gun violence in schools.
Peter Alexander asked whether the president has any plans to speak out any further on the recent incidents, and have the gun “policy discussion” he promised in wake of last year’s Las Vegas mass shooting.
READ MORE: 4 things Donald Trump is doing to loosen gun laws in the U.S.
“The president believes that all Americans deserve to be safe in their schools and in their communities,” Sanders said in response.
She explained Trump has “instructed the top law enforcement agency in this country to crack down on crime,” but did not offer details on the steps taken.
Upon further pressing from Alexander, the exchange got heated.
WATCH: Sarah Huckabee Sanders lashes out at reporter, saying he is implying Trump ‘complicit’ in school shootings
“Let me be very clear on this: The fact that you’re basically accusing the president of being complicit in a school shooting is outrageous,” Sanders retorted.
Meanwhile, the president offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the Kentucky school shooting victims more than 24 hours after the incident occurred.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did so about a day earlier.
Trump has been fairly mum on the issue of gun control. He has indicated that tighter gun control laws are not in the cards during his presidency.
WATCH: Trump says tighter gun control would have led to ‘hundreds’ killed in Texas church shooting
Following a mass shooting last year at a Texas church, where the perpetrator was caught by another man with a gun, Trump said weapon control would have led to “hundreds” more deaths.
“Instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead,” he said.
— With files from the Associated Press
Comments