NEA speaks up for the rights of students. Browse recent messages to Congressional leadership, and add your voice.
K-12 Public and Private Schools.
Synagogues.
Shopping Malls.
Parks.
Fourth of July Parade.
Casino.
Hospitals.
Entertainment District.
Veterans Home.
College Campuses.
Temples.
Supermarkets.
Movie theater.
Lunar New Year Festival.
Dance Studio.
Military Base.
Hotel bar.
Nursing Home.
Churches.
Workplaces.
LGBTQ Nightclubs.
Country Music Festival.
Private Households.
Military Recruiting Office.
Massage Parlor.
Restaurants.
Women’s Health Clinic.
These are the places where Americans have been killed or wounded in mass shootings.
Students deserve safe communities, schools, and campuses that promote their learning and development. But sadly, children and young people are surrounded by gun violence.
According to the Pew Research Center’s recent analysis of federal data, the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the U.S. increased by 50 percent between 2019 and 2021.
Our students are coming of age in an era of mass shootings in grocery stores, malls, and banks, at Fourth of July parades, concerts, and places of worship—anywhere we gather. Massacres at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Umpqua Community College, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Robb Elementary, the Covenant School, and other schools have traumatized children, their families, and educators.
Students should not have to endure drills on how to hide from mass murderers. Educators should not be forced to act as shields against assault weapons and make impossible choices to try to protect students from the worst horrors imaginable.
Research in 2023 by 97Percent, a bipartisan gun safety organization, revealed that most gun owners believe we can respect the Second Amendment while also protecting Americans’ safety, and also want us to enact commonsense gun reforms. We must come together to pass commonsense reforms, such as a ban on assault weapons and background checks on gun show sales and transfers.
Fighting for an End to Gun Violence in our Schools, Communities
Make a Difference Today
Take Action Now
Looking for more ways to take action?
-
NEA Comments for Senate Judiciary Hearing on Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis
Submitted on November 27, 2023
-
NEA Letter Urges Senate to vote NO on Resolution Condemning a Gun Rule
Submitted on June 21, 2023
Bills in Congress
Learn NEA's position on pending legislation related to public education, and take action to protect our schools
-
Support
S 3214 Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act www.congress.gov
Introduced on November 2, 2023
A bill that would divert Federal funding away from supporting the presence of police in schools and toward evidence-based and trauma-informed services that address the needs of marginalized students and improve academic outcomes, and for other purposes.
-
Support
HR 4999 Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in School Safety Alert (ALYSSA) Act of 2023 www.congress.gov
Introduced on July 27, 2023
A bill that would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require silent alarms in elementary schools and secondary schools, and for other purposes
-
Support
HR 2869 School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act 2023 www.congress.gov
Introduced on April 25, 2023
To require the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to publish an annual report on indicators of school crime and safety that includes data on school shootings, and for other purposes.