In 2022, 133 school shootings caused injuries or fatalities in the United States, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The number of school shootings in the U.S. in 2022 surpassed the levels of each previous year, and on May 24, 2022, 19 elementary school students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting and subsequent law enforcement response fueled national conversations surrounding school violence prevention between communities, lawmakers and security professionals.
After the shooting in Uvalde, school safety leaders and administrators continued their work to better protect their school facilities from active shooter threats. Since May 25, 2022, schools across all 50 states have become eligible for grants specifically targeting school safety initiatives, and legislation on the federal and state levels has made over $2 billion available for the creation and/or improvement of school safety initiatives and mental health services across the country.