Shootings Break Out During Homecoming Weekend Across Schools in the United States, Reinforcing Calls for Action on Gun Safety Ahead of Pivotal Election

NEW YORK - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements in response to multiple shootings during recent homecoming celebrations. Recent homecoming celebrations have been marred by gun violence, including:

• On Saturday, at least three people were killed and another eight were wounded during a shooting on a crowd gathering to celebrate a homecoming football win from Holmes County Consolidated School outside Lexington, Mississippi
• Also on Saturday, a shooting at Albany State University during homecoming weekend, a historically Black university, killed a 19-year-old boy and wounded others
• Just one week prior, one man was killed and nine people were wounded in a shooting near another historically Black university, Tennessee State University in Nashville, after the school's homecoming celebration.

"Homecoming is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but instead these special moments continue to be ruined by gun violence," said Valencia Green, a volunteer leader with Jackson State University Students Demand Action chapter in Mississippi. "We should be able to have fun at these parties and enjoy football games without the risk of being shot. I know the fear of experiencing gun violence near my campus, and with such an important election coming up, my generation will show up and vote for the leaders that will protect our right to live free from gun violence."

"We refuse to accept gun violence as normal-especially in places where our kids are supposed to be safe. It's unacceptable that over and over, we're seeing shootings at homecomings and other school events," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "These devastating incidents are a stark reminder of the consequences when politicians weaken gun laws instead of protecting lives. Our hearts break for the families and communities affected, but our resolve to fight for a safer future only grows stronger. That future starts with electing leaders at every level who prioritize policies that keep our kids and communities safe."

Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee are all permitless carry states, drastically lowering the bar for who may carry concealed handguns in public. In 2017, the Georgia legislature passed a law requiring colleges and universities to allow guns on campus and this past year, Tennessee Republicans passed a bill to arm more teachers following the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. Here, you can find more information about Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee's gun laws.

According to a report released by Everytown, children and teenagers are half as likely to die by guns in the states with the strongest laws compared to the states with the weakest ones. Yet, lawmakers in these states continue to weaken gun laws. These actions put their constituents, specifically, young people at risk. The research is clear that strong gun laws, coupled with community investments and responsible gun ownership, can go on to save lives.

Gun violence impacts the vast majority of Americans, yet its weight is not equally felt across certain demographics or age groups. Systemic inequities such as barriers to housing, healthcare, education, and generations of racism have exacerbated America's gun violence crisis within Black communities - particularly among Black youth. While guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, Black youth bear a disproportionate impact of this crisis as they are 17x more likely than their white peers to die by gun homicide.

This impact also extends to the presence of gun violence in schools for Black children and teens. Among the incidents of gunfire at K-12 schools between 2013 and 2021, 67 % occurred in majority-minority schools. Although Black students represent approximately 15% of the total K-12 school population in the US, they make up 30% of the average population at schools that have been impacted by a fatal shooting.

As of September 2024, the number of gun-related incidents on school grounds for this year has officially outpaced the total number of incidents that occurred throughout 2023. There have been at least 172 occurrences of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 52 deaths and 114 injuries nationally in 2024. More information about gunfire on school grounds can be found here.

To speak with a Students Demand Action volunteer or an Everytown expert please do not hesitate to reach out to [email protected].