A gun has killed a child every other day since Sandy Hook


In the three years since a gunman killed 20 children and six staff members at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, children under 12 have died from gunshot wounds at a rate of one every other day, according to an NBC News analysis. That totals to roughly 554 child gunshot deaths, both intentional and accidental, since Newtown — a figure that NBC News suspects is low, since their data relies on news reports and other publicly available information, and child gun deaths sometimes go unreported.
By some accounts, the risk of a child dying from gunfire has even increased slightly since December 14, 2012: In 2014, 460 children and young teens died from gunshot wounds — the most since 1999.
But Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense founder Shannon Watts told NBC that she believes Sandy Hook will one day be seen as a turning point in reducing child gun deaths. "I wouldn't wake up and spend 12 hours a day working on this if I didn't think we were winning... I'm just so saddened by the lives we're going to lose in the meantime," she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
'The benefits of such a program go beyond just the data'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
May 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include the Big Beautiful Bill's impact on Medicare and Medicaid, Donald Trump and JD Vance plotting in the Oval Office, Russia's expansionist plans, and Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin.
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said