How many school shootings have there already been in US this year?

Two children were killed and 17 others injured in a shooting at a Catholic school in the US city of Minnesota on August 27. This marks at least the fifth shooting at a K-12 school in the United States since the school year began only on August 1, reigniting calls from gun control advocates for stronger firearm restrictions to protect students.

"Kids have only been back to their classrooms for a few weeks, and already this school year is scarred by multiple shootings. No parent should fear sending their child to school. No child should pray for safety in a church," said the student-led advocacy group March for Our Lives in a statement cited by ABC News.

Advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety shared grim data, reporting at least 57 shootings at K-12 schools in 2025, excluding the latest attack in Minneapolis. In those prior incidents, 47 people were shot and at least 15 killed.

"All signs point to this tragedy being perpetrated by an assault weapon, which begs a question: How many more Americans must die before lawmakers ban these weapons of war?" the group’s president asked following the attack.

Police confirmed the suspect was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Amnesty International notes the US has the world’s highest gun ownership rates. A sense of entitlement to possess a vast array of deadly weapons—without adequate regulation—has overtaken the need to protect life.

Despite the widespread circulation of firearms and the staggering annual death toll, federal regulations that could save thousands remain absent. School shootings in the US now occur nearly twice a week on average, according to the report.

Access to guns affects all aspects of life due to inadequate safeguards. The US lacks a national registration system, and 30 states allow handgun ownership without any license or permit.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has become one of America’s most influential political groups, lobbying aggressively against gun control and promoting the belief that more guns equal greater safety.

The NRA relies on and defends a disputed interpretation of the Second Amendment, claiming it guarantees the right to bear arms. It funds politicians and lawmakers who back its agenda. In 2021 alone, it spent $4.2 million on lobbying, according to nonpartisan research firm OpenSecrets.

Since 2010, the NRA has directed more than $140 million to pro-gun candidates, according to reporting by the BBC citing OpenSecrets data.

Its influence also extends to its large membership, many of whom vote based on gun rights positions. The group grades members of Congress from A to F on their alignment with gun rights, ratings that can cost gun control advocates their seats.

By Nazrin Sadigova