School Shootings Are Extraordinarily Rare

The Washington Post reports that statistically our children are at a greater risk of dying from sports injuries or driving to & from school. School shootings are extraordinarily rare. So why all the fear?

The education Department reports about 50 million children attend public schools for almost 180 days a year. Since Columbine, about 200 students have been shot & killed while in school. The statistical likelihood that a student will be killed by a gun in school, since 1999, is 1 in 614,000,000. The risk is far lower than it seems. Partly because of 24/7 news coverage and social media.

The stats might seem cold. We think "but what if it is my child's school". The risk makes us emotional. The fear makes us irrational. Many people fear being by a shark in the ocean. Or being killed in a plane crash.

A threat seems more threatening if it gets constant attention on the news or in social media. The Washington Post reminds us far more kids are shot outside schools than in one. Maybe we should change our perspective.