America’s vast and unchecked personal arsenals of guns have given us a shameful distinction: We are the only developed nation that now teaches its kindergartners how to wait in line for the bathroom and hide under desks for a mass shooting.
The United States leads the world in firearms per capita with more guns than people, according to the Small Arms Survey. The survey shows American civilians own more than 393 million guns — 120.48 guns per 100 U.S. residents. And we are not safer.
School shootings climbed to the highest number in two decades in 2020-2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2020, guns became the leading cause of death among children, adolescents and teens, surpassing car crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
