Nashville school shooting is America’s 129th mass shooting in 2023

America is on course for having the bloodiest year yet, as the mass shooting of a private school in Nashville brings the grim total up to 129 this year.

The US surpassed the disturbing milestone of more than 100 mass shootings on March 5 – with the rate rising faster than in the past ten years.

Last year, the US hit 100 mass shootings on March 19, almost two weeks after this year’s date.

The previous year, 2021, was March 20, while in 2020 it was May 3 and 2018 and 2019 also saw late May dates for the grim mark.

So far this year, there have been 13 school shootings, with six children killed in total and four adults or employees losing their lives.

Nashville, which is the 129th mass shooting this year, is the deadliest school shooting of 2023 and is one of just four in history which had a female gunman.

The US surpassed the disturbing milestone of more than 100 mass shootings on March 5 – with the rate rising faster than in the past ten years 

The incredibly rare attacks first happened in 1979 with a teenage girl, who said she murdered because she ‘didn’t like Mondays’.

So far this year California, Texas and Florida have all had 12 mass shootings each this year, with Louisiana having 11, and Illinois suffering eight.

Pennsylvania has had seven, with Tennessee suffering six, including the latest tragedy according to the Gun Violence archive.

In total 63 children have been shot and killed in the US as a result of gun crime this year, with 128 injured. 

Authorities have identified her as a 28-year-old woman from Nashville, though it is not currently clear exactly how she is linked to the school – if she is at all.

Law enforcement confirmed that three children and three adults were killed in the incident, as well as the shooter who was killed by police.

The female shooter had two assault-type rifles on her during the incident, and a handgun, entering the school from the side before making her way up to the first floor and fired multiple shots.

The Nashville incident is the third most deadly of the year, with the same number of people killed as the incident in Half Moon Bay on January 23.

Children hold hands as they leave The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in chilling scenes which echo the mass shooting of Sandy Hook in 2012

Children hold hands as they leave The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in chilling scenes which echo the mass shooting of Sandy Hook in 2012

So far this year, there have been 13 school shootings, with six children killed in total and four adults or employees losing their lives

So far this year, there have been 13 school shootings, with six children killed in total and four adults or employees losing their lives 

MASS SHOOTINGS PER STATE 2023 
State Number of mass shootings
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
DC
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
2
2
3
12
3
1
12
4
8
1
11
4
2
4
3
3
3
5
7
5
1
7
3
7
12
1
1
1
2

A mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, is the worst of the year, which saw 12 people – including the shooter – killed.

Eight people were killed during a shooting on January 4 in Cedar City, Utah, with Michael Haight killing his wife, their five children and his mother-in-law before turning the gun on himself.

There are about 120 guns for every 100 Americans, according to the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey.

No other nation has more civilian guns than people, with around 44 percent of US adults living in a household with a gun.

Around one third own one personally, according to a November 2020 Gallup survey. A third of US adults believe that there would be less crime if more people owned guns.

However multiple studies show that where people have easy access to firearms then gun-related deaths are more frequent – including suicide, homicide and unintentional injuries.

Mass shootings also drive a demand for more guns, with many Americans feeling they are ‘safer’ if they personally own a weapon.

The rate of gun violence is eight times greater than in Canada, which has the seventh-highest rate of gun ownership in the world.

The previous year, 2021, was March 20, while in 2020 it was May 3 and 2018 and 2019 also saw late May dates for the grim mark

The previous year, 2021, was March 20, while in 2020 it was May 3 and 2018 and 2019 also saw late May dates for the grim mark 

Parents gather in the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville on Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three students

Parents gather in the sanctuary of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville on Monday after a shooter opened fire, killing three students

Numbers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation data from 2019 show that the US’s gun death rate is 22 times higher than the European Union and 23 times greater than Australia.

Discussions on gun violence and the Second Amendment is always close to the heart of politics in the US, with President Joe Biden constantly complaining about Congress’ inability to pass ‘common sense’ measures after multiple mass shootings this year.

First Lady Jill Biden said she is ‘without words’ as she became the first person in the White House to publicly react to the news – saying ‘enough is enough’.

She added: ‘I am truly without words, and our children deserve better. We stand with Nashville in prayer.’

Mike Haight, 42, murdered his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and their five children and mother-in-law in a horrific mass shooting in Utah

Mike Haight, 42, murdered his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and their five children and mother-in-law in a horrific mass shooting in Utah

A mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, is the worst of the year, which saw 12 people – including the shooter – killed

A mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, is the worst of the year, which saw 12 people – including the shooter – killed 

The president made an emotional appeal for stricter gun laws as he signed an executive order to increase the number of background checks following the most deadly shooting of the year in California.

He said: ‘Ban assault weapons. Ban them again. Do it now. Enough. Do something. Do something big.’

His order will increase the number of background checks to buy guns, promote better and more secure firearms storage and ensure U.S. law enforcement agencies are getting the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer.

But many Republicans, who currently control the House, blame a ‘mental health crisis’ in the US for the gun violence problem.

Chunli Zhao - a 66-year-old forklift operator at one of the farms targeted during the attack - allegedly carried out the attack over a dispute with his boss over a bill for damaged equipment

Chunli Zhao – a 66-year-old forklift operator at one of the farms targeted during the attack – allegedly carried out the attack over a dispute with his boss over a bill for damaged equipment

the third shooting to hit the Golden State in just as many days, the tragedy left members of the coastal community just outside of San Francisco struggling to make sense of the murders

the third shooting to hit the Golden State in just as many days, the tragedy left members of the coastal community just outside of San Francisco struggling to make sense of the murders

FBI investigators stand near the Star Dance Studio (not pictured) where Tan opened fire and killed 11 people

FBI investigators stand near the Star Dance Studio (not pictured) where Tan opened fire and killed 11 people 

Huu Can Tran, 72, shot himself on Sunday in a van after being surrounded by SWAT teams. His motive for the rampage at Star Dance Studio remains unconfirmed, but police sources say it was a 'domestic dispute'. He is shown in surveillance footage from Saturday

Huu Can Tran

Huu Can Tran, 72, shot himself on Sunday in a van after being surrounded by SWAT teams. His motive for the rampage at Star Dance Studio remains unconfirmed, but police sources say it was a ‘domestic dispute’. He is shown in surveillance footage from Saturday 

It means that there is a constant resistance against the government trying to regulate access to guns.

Last year’s bipartisan gun safety bill represented the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994.

It had support from fourteen Republicans in the House and fifteen in the Senate.

However, it still fell short of what President Biden and the Democratic party wanted to ban – calling consistently for a ban on assault weapons.

Alissa Parraz, 16, was found dead in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas, near the home where four of her family members were also killed

Alissa Parraz, 17, was found dead in a ditch, still cradling her baby Nycholas, near the home where four of her family members were also killed in Goshen on January 16 

Robert K. Crayton, 45, shot his wife Athalia A. Crayton, 46, and his three children before killing himself at their home in High Point, North Carolina on January 7. Pictured: The scene

Robert K. Crayton, 45, shot his wife Athalia A. Crayton, 46, and his three children before killing himself at their home in High Point, North Carolina on January 7. Pictured: The scene

Mike Haight, 42, murdered his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and their five children, who ranged in age from four to 17, (pictured together) and his mother-in-law Gail Earl on January 4 at their home in Enoch, Utah

Mike Haight, 42, murdered his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and their five children, who ranged in age from four to 17, (pictured together) and his mother-in-law Gail Earl on January 4 at their home in Enoch, Utah 

Despite the lack of change, more than half of the public, 66 percent, favoured stricter gun laws according to a CNN poll in 2022.

More than four in ten said that the recent legislation did not go far enough to make changes.

Maxwell Frost, the Democratic Representative for Florida, targeted his campaign to the ‘mass shooting generation’ – asking why the problem had not been fixed.

He said: ‘We’ve seen these things and been wondering our whole lives as young people, in high school, middle school and elementary school, why? Why is this happening?

‘Why have we not fixed this? And now we’re at a place where we can vote and we can run, and we’re going to do it.’

A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville

A police officer walks by an entrance to The Covenant School after a shooting in Nashville 

Last year's bipartisan gun safety bill represented the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994

 Last year’s bipartisan gun safety bill represented the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994

Students are evacuated from The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a female shooter killed three kids and two adults

Students are evacuated from The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday after a female shooter killed three kids and two adults 

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