ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mass shootings pose a considerable threat to public safety. This study aims to (1) assess US mass shootings, firearm-related sales, laws, and regional differences from 2015-2021 and (2) investigate changes in mass shootings and firearm sales before and during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Method(s): A retrospective review of mass shootings, gun sales, and laws regarding the minimum age required to purchase a firearm within the US from 2015-2021. The 10 states/regions with the greatest mean mass shootings/capita from 2015-2021 were selected for further analysis. Result(s): Mass shootings correlated significantly with firearm sales from 2015-2021 nationwide (p< 0.02 for all). The growth in mass shootings, the number killed/injured, and gun sales were greater in 2020 and 2021 compared withthe years prior. The 10 states with the highest mean mass shooting/capita over the study period were Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee. No significant correlation was found between the number of mass shootings/capita and the minimum age to purchase a firearm. Conclusion(s): Firearm sales correlated significantly with mass shootings from 2015-2021. Mass shootings and gun sales increased at greater rates during the COVID-19 pandemic compared withthe years before the pandemic. Mass shootings exhibited inconsistent trends with state gun laws regarding the minimum age to purchase a firearm. Future studies may consider investigating the methods by which firearms used in mass shootings are obtained to further identify targets for prevention.
ABSTRACT
The impacts of climate change present numerous risks to the present and future state of teaching and learning. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, heat waves, flooding, blizzards, wildfires, sea level rise, and droughts threaten our ability to produce the learning outcomes promised to our pupils. Taking action to adapt to imminent climate-related challenges and mitigating measures that provoke and prolong ecological challenges is critical to the survival of these cultural institutions. Paradoxically, centers of teaching and learning can be seen as both victims of climate change as well as an instrumental part of the solution. Providing an efficient and effective education to the world's youth is a catalyst for the innovations that future generations of skilled professionals will use to combat climate change. Educational settings are also crucial venues for raising social awareness about anthropogenic climate change to undermine the complacency and denialism that have stagnated the global response to this crisis thus far. This paper incorporates suggestions from climate scientists and learning scientists about how to change how we teach, where we teach, and what we teach to ensure teaching enterprises survive and thrive in the face of a changing climate.