It’s April and there have been 33 school shootings in 2018.

Thirty-three. Thirty-three times, a gun went off, placing innocent kids’ lives at risk.

Forty-six people were injured just this year from these school shootings; 28 lives were lost. These numbers may not compare to the 59 person death toll in Las Vegas, or the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, but they should in no way be ignored or accepted.

There have been innumerable lives affected by gun violence this year. As the media reports the violence, it is important to understand the phrase “school shooting.” Everytown Research defines a school shooting as “Any time a firearm discharges a live round inside a school building or on a school campus or grounds.”

This means that a suicide or a gun accidentally going off on school grounds is subject to holding the title of a school shooting, no matter the intentions or death toll. To show detail on school shootings that have occurred this year, below is a list from Everytown Research with a short description of the shootings thus far and information on any casualties.

January 4: Seattle, WA

0 killed, 0 injured

An unidentified gunman shot several times through the front office of New Start High School. The window and filing cabinet were hit, and the school went into lockdown.

January 10: Denison, TX

0 killed, 0 injured

A student in a community college picked up and fired a peace officer’s gun, hitting a wall. The student said that he was unaware that the gun was real and loaded.

January 10: Sierra Vista, AZ

1 killed, 0 injured

A 14-year-old boy committed suicide by gun in an elementary school bathroom. The school initially believed there was an active shooter, thus calling a lockdown.

January 10: San Bernardino, CA

0 killed, 0 injured

Gunshots that were reported to have come from off-campus hit a university window. A lockdown was called and classes were canceled. The police found no perpetrator.

January 15: Marshall, TX

0 killed, 0 injured

A vehicle drove into a college parking lot while firing a gun. One bullet hit a residence hall window and the police could not locate the driver after the shooting.

January 20: Winston-Salem, NC

1 killed, 0 injured

Shots were fired at a sorority party after a heated argument, killing one man.

January 22: Italy, TX

0 killed, 1 injured

Shots were fired in a high school cafeteria by a 16-year-old male student. He injured a girl in the neck and abdomen and then aimed at another student. Before hitting the other student, the shooter was held back by the staff.

January 22: Gentilly, LA

0 killed, 1 injured (not from gun wounds)

An armed person driving a pickup truck fired shots at students standing in a high school parking lot. There were no gunshot wounds and a single student with a non-gun related abrasion. Two other students apart from the unidentified shooter were thought to have been involved.

January 23: Benton, KY

2 killed, 18 injured (4 not from gun wounds)

A male student open fired in a high school, injuring many and killing two.

January 25: Mobile, AL

0 killed, 0 injured

After a disagreement between two students, one of them pulled out a handgun. Staff members attempted to calm the student, but he ran to the other side of campus and then fired four or more times into the air.

January 26: Dearborn, MI

0 killed, 0 injured

A fight broke out at a high school basketball game, leading to the removal of both students from the school. After this, one of the students was fired at from a car while in the parking lot. The student was not injured.

January 31: Philadelphia, PA

1 killed, 0 injured

A fight began in the parking lot outside of a high school basketball game, leading to shots fired. One person was shot twice in the leg and died later.

February 1: Los Angeles, CA

0 killed, 2 injured

A handgun was unintentionally fired by a 12-year-old girl, hitting a boy’s head and a girl’s wrist. It is still unknown as to why the girl brought the handgun to school.

February 5: Maplewood, MN

0 killed, 0 injured

A liaison officer’s gun was fired by a third grader while sitting together on a school bench with other students. The bullet hit the ground and it is unknown why the gun’s safety settings had malfunctioned.

February 5: Oxon Hill, MD

0 killed, 1 injured

One student was shot and two students were arrested for their involvement in the shooting.

February 8: New York, NY

0 killed, 0 injured

A 17-year-old boy fired at the floor of his high school classroom. No one was hurt, but he was taken later for questioning.

February 14: Parkland, FL

17 killed, 14 injured

An expelled student open fired in a high school, killing and injuring many. He was caught later by authorities.

February 15: Coconut Creek, FL

0 killed, 1 injured

A deputy shot himself in the leg on accident while in a school, calling the school into lockdown.

February 20: Massillon, OH

1 killed, 0 injured

A male student constructed a complex plan to shoot students in a middle school. He hid a rifle under his clothes and hid in the bathroom, where a student spotted his gun and ran to report it. The gunman then shot himself and died, injuring no other students.

February 23: Hammond, LA

0 killed, 2 injured

Two students fought outside of a sports hall at a university. Shots were fired by two non-students, hitting the students. The two students had non-life threatening injuries.

February 24: Savannah, GA

0 killed, 1 injured

One student was shot multiple times near a university. Another student was charged for carrying weapons on campus, which led to the other student’s injuries.

February 26: Tacoma, WA

0 killed, 0 injured

Two male students fired a gun through a school’s bathroom floor, sending a bullet into the class below.

February 27: Norfolk, VA

0 killed, 1 injured

A student was shot through a dorm wall and no suspect was found.

February 27: Itta Bena, MS

0 killed, 1 injured

A person was shot in a college after there was a disagreement within a group of people.

February 28: Dalton, GA

0 killed, 0 injured

A school teacher locked himself in a classroom and fired through a window. He would not respond as to why he did it.

March 2: Mount Pleasant, MI

2 killed, 0 injured

A male student shot and killed his parents in his dorm room.

March 4: San Marcos, TX

0 killed, 0 injured

A student fired into a university residence hall, hitting a window but no people. He had earlier gotten into a disagreement with another student.

March 5: Cadet, MO

1 killed, 0 injured

A boy committed suicide by shooting himself in a school bathroom right after lunch.

March 7: Birmingham, AL

1 killed, 1 injured

A boy was shot in a school, killing that student. The perpetrator injured himself in efforts to shoot the other student, but it was not fatal.

March 9: Lexington, KY

0 killed, 1 injured

A student unintentionally shot himself in the thumb after bringing a gun to class.

March 13: Seaside, CA

0 killed, 0 injured

An officer accidentally fired a bullet into the ceiling during his public safety class.

March 13: Alexandria, VA

0 killed, 0 injured

A police officer accidentally fired a gun inside a school.

March 20: Great Mills, MD

1 killed, 1 injured

A student open fired in a high school, injuring one other student. Their resource officer shot at the student, resulting in the death of the shooter. It is unknown as to whether the shooter’s death was due to the officer’s gunshots, or from suicide.

As the media continues to speak about school shooting rates, it is important to know that there were not 33 gunmen with complex plans to kill their peers. While some were unintentional and many resulted in few casualties, this does not in any way justify the dozens of times that students and faculty were in danger.

As a part of this school safety series, CPHS News will go in depth on ways that students can stay safe in school. More information from the counseling office can be found on in the following links. In addition, be sure to watch the each day’s Wolfcast.

 CPHS Counseling Website

Grief Support via The Christi Center