In the United States, data about school shootings and data about gun violence are not systematically collected under the auspices of any federal grant authority. The lack of mandated, systematic data collection in these areas has often confused many people in identifying data from information and differentiating opinion from fact. The Dickey amendment to the 1996 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 1997 currently bans government-funded researchers from collecting data about gun violence for analysis. It is clear that U.S. lawmakers should repeal this law.

Data are raw, unorganized facts. Data becomes information only when one subjects it to further analysis. RPI is engaged in a project to collect and analyze school shooting data. Below is a chart which delineates some potential policy responses to the school shooting problem in the United States.

School Shootings in the United States: Potential Policy Responses

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