There have been more than 2,000 school shootings in the United States since 1970, or one every nine days.

The impressive figure was calculated by the Center for Defense and Homeland Security at the Maritime Institute in Monterey, California, and takes into account all incidents involving firearms at those locations, regardless of the number of victims, the time of day or the day. week.

More than 1,500 of that total occurred after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which killed 26 people, including 20 children aged 6 to 7, and six adults. The case was in 2012.

On Tuesday (24), another shooting at an elementary school, this time in Uvalde, Texas, shocked the United States and became the second deadliest incident since the one in Sandy Hook.

Armed with two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles and 370 rounds of ammunition, Salvador Ramos turned 18, killed 19 children, two teachers.

According to his relatives, Ramos got the gun completely legally.

Firearms are the leading cause of death among American children and adolescents. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 10 firearm victims is 19 years old or younger.

In recent days, Twitter and Facebook users have shared a long list of shootings at schools across the country since 1998, showing astonishment and shock.

According to the American media, since the beginning of this year, 27 such people have been injured and died.

Data shows school attacks in the US have returned to pre-Covid levels and even increased.

But research by the US Department of Homeland Security shows that if the public is aware of the “signs” of gun violence, it’s possible to prevent it and turn the tide.

Among these “signs” is that 93% of the perpetrators planned to attack schools in advance, according to an extensive study on the matter by the country’s Secret Service and Ministry of Education.

However, in most cases (four out of five), at least one person was aware of the abuser’s plot but did not report it.

The recent attack in Uvalde has renewed calls for greater control over firearms in the country, but changes in legislation face hurdles old and new.

For experts in the field, the prospect of progress is remote, and in States that have already made progress in this area, there is a real possibility of setback, with Justice winning in cases brought by defenders of the right to bear arms.

According to the NGO Gun Violence Archive, which counts data on firearm violence in the US, there have been 2,000 mass shootings since 2012, which the party considers a “mass shooting” if more than four people, excluding the perpetrator, are injured or killed. attack..