Following the horrific act of gun violence on Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Barack Obama gave a memorial speech insisting that this nation needs to address prevention measures to stop an act like this from happening again. The President noted that this is the fourth time since he took office that he has gathered to speak in memory of those lost in a mass shooting.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence periodically releases reports of gun violence in the United States and, after the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday, made their report on major school shootings in the United States since 1997 available to the public shortly after the massacre. The report is extensive and an eye-opener to the significance of gun control in this country.
The Brady Campaign was founded by former assistant to the president and White House press secretary, James Brady, who was permanently disabled and nearly killed as a result of the assassination attempt on former President Reagan in 1981. The Brady Campaign is a non-profit political organization dedicated to preventing gun violence through policy change.
Over the last five years (since the beginning of 2008), as recorded by The Brady Campaign, the United States has seen 123 school related shootings. The map below shows the regional distributions of these events and the school they took place.
