Lee, E., Thulin, E., Patrick, M. E., Terry-McElrath, Y. M., & Heinze, J. (2026). Trends in school firearm carriage among US 12th-grade students, 1994–2023. JAMA Pediatrics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.2824
School-based shootings have increased over the past 2 decades in the US.1 Firearm carriage to school precedes firearm presence on school grounds and increases firearm injury risk even when infrequent, particularly where large numbers of students congregate. National trends in school-specific firearm carriage remain underexamined. Although subgroup differences in general adolescent firearm carriage are documented by sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic context, national studies have not isolated firearms carried to school, leaving long-term school-specific trends unclear.2,3 We examined 30-year trends (1994-2023) and subgroup patterns in school firearm carriage among US 12th-grade students to guide population-specific prevention approaches.