🌅 Where do school shooters get their guns?

SOURCE

Klein et al. (2023)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Researchers at the University of South Carolina analyzed 253 shootings on K-12 campuses from 1990 to 2016, finding 42% of adolescent school shooters used a firearm sourced from a family member, primarily their parents. Outside of family, 30% of school shooters obtained their weapon from the illegal market, while 22% turned to friends or acquaintances. Just 2% used a gun they owned and obtained legally.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Of the school shooters who procured the gun they used from a family member, the vast majority (82%) obtained the weapon by stealing it, underscoring the importance of safe gun storage in homes. Despite the connection between school shooters and a family member’s gun, other research shows many gun owners who store their guns loaded and unlocked “see little value” in securely storing their firearms.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Last Thursday, a gunman opened fire near a student union building on the campus of Florida State University. The shooter killed two people and wounded six others using his mother’s handgun.

READER CONTEXT

On Friday, we told you about quantum computing and the threat of Q-Day. Jordan Y. from Los Angeles, California added some additional context we wanted to share!

• “As a lawyer and tech entrepreneur who’s aware of quantum computing, I’m surprised more people in the blockchain industry aren’t talking about it. Quantum computing can destroy the core value proposition of blockchain technology: its encrypted nature. Glad to see Sunrise Stat share the quantum-proof algorithms, people should be aware that a remedy exists to help calm fears.”