24 Years Ago Today: Columbine High School Shooting Killed 13

It was a Tuesday morning in the Denver suburb of Littleton, Colorado, on this day 24 years ago when two high school students opened fire on their fellow students (History):

On April 20, 1999, two teenage gunmen kill 13 people in a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, south of Denver. At approximately 11:19 a.m., Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18, dressed in trench coats, began shooting students outside the school before moving inside to continue their rampage. By 11:35 a.m., Klebold and Harris had killed 12 fellow students and a teacher and wounded another 23 people. Shortly after noon, the two teens turned their guns on themselves and died by suicide.

Since that day, there have been 377 more school shootings in America (Washington Post):

There were more school shootings in 2022 — 46 — than in any year since at least 1999.

Beyond the dead and wounded, children who witness the violence or cower behind locked doors to hide from it can be profoundly traumatized.

The most recent was March 27, 2023, at the Covenant School in Nashville, TN (The Tennessean):

6 dead (3 students, 3 staff members)

Some school names have faded. Others were so horrific that they remain emblazoned in our memories:

Sandy Hook, CT (2012): 20 elementary children killed (ages 6 and 7), 6 adults dead; 2 injured

Virginia Tech (2007): 27 university students dead, 5 adults dead; 12 injured

Uvalde, TX (2022): 19 elementary students dead (ages 10 and 11), 2 adults dead; 17 injured

Columbine, CO (1999): 12 students dead (ages 14-18), 1 adult; 12 injured

Parkland, FL (2018): 14 students dead (ages 14-18), 3 adults dead; 17 injured

With 378 school shootings since 1999, there are plenty more to find, read the names, and remember.

Enough already. It’s 24 years after Columbine and the angst of parents and loss of lives continues. It’s time to take steps to stop the slaughter of our children.