widely inclusive, open-source school shooting data
Documents when a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property.
About The Project
David Riedman, founder & researcher
In 2017, David was selected by the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security for the 18-month thinktank program where he and his research partner created the K-12 School Shooting Database. Since the launch of this public database in 2018, David has led the research and continued development of the project.
David regularly contributes to the public discussion and with Dr. Jill Peterson and Dr. James Densley from The Violence Project, David co-published six op-eds on school shootings in The Washington Post, LA Times, Star Tribune, Education Week, Sun Sentinel, and The Tennessean (USA Today).
In July 2022, the K-12SSDB became an independent, nonpartisan research project that is not affiliated with any institution or agency.
In addition to his own research and writing, the K-12 SSDB has been used as a primary data source in 60 peer-reviewed articles and reports, and cited by 400 media outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, Denver Post, New York Post, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, Vogue, and Forbes. The database’s original website has been visited by more than 1,00,000 users.
About Us
Peer Reviewed Research Methodology
The K-12 SSDB includes detailed information about each incident, a reliability score that quantifies the dependability of the information, and the verified primary source citation(s) (e.g., newspaper article, court records, interviews, police reports) to allow for further academic research. The scope is widely inclusive to allow for a comprehensive view of the issue
Through the inclusion, rather than exclusion, of criteria that are cross-referenced, unfiltered, and agnostic, users can conduct more detailed analyses of gun violence in schools within their areas of interest from which to make better informed decisions about school safety.
In the news
Recent articles citing K-12 School Shooting Database: