Last month was the first March since 2002 without a school shooting

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first March in nearly two decades, there were no school shootings across the United States.

The last time March went without such an incident was in 2002, and even then there were close calls.

While the news may seem heartening in a country where violent incidents at schools have become all too frequent, the relative calm is likely a result of the fact that most schools in the country were shut down at some point during the month because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, crime has decreased in general around the globe because of lockdowns.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

On the other hand, gun sales increased significantly during the last month, with March coming in as the second-busiest month ever.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.