As of Sept. 2, 2025, 116 school shootings have occurred in the United States. Prior to this year, the United States has seen an average of 273 school shootings per year since 2020.
The 1999 Columbine High School massacre was one of the first recognized large-scale school shootings in the United States. In Columbine, Colo., two seniors shot and killed 13 students, one teacher, and wounded 21 people. Later, they both took their own lives, using the semi-automatic weapons they had used to murder the other victims. The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act was in effect in the U.S. from 1994 to 2004, and was active at the time of Columbine. This act prohibited the use, manufacturing, and sale of “civilian use of certain semi-automatic weapons,” according to National Public Radio. The act expired and was not renewed due to Americans’ safety fears after the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The U.S. saw a lower average of mass shootings while the ban was in place.
Since the Columbine shooting, schools across the United States, including San Marin High School, have updated their crisis training and adopted safety procedures such as lockdown drills, in which students practice what would happen if there was a threat to their campus.
“We practice Secure Campus, lockdown drills, and evacuation protocols yearly for emergency preparedness,” San Marin Assistant Principal Shawna Torres said. “Last
year our staff participated in Active Intruder training and at our next staff meeting will be reviewing our Incident Command Protocol for an upcoming drill school-wide.” San Marin works closely with North Bay Security, an organization that focuses on providing safety briefings and crime prevention skills. Their team is composed of professionals who have served in the military, police force, or other law enforcement roles.
“Last year, we had a presentation that students didn’t see from [North Bay],” San Marin principal Andy Boone said. “We get training from that group, which is made up of ex-military and ex-police who are really knowledgeable at training adults, and teaching them what to look for [when it comes to school shootings]. But it is one of those things that we could study more, and I am curious if that is something that is on students’ minds all the time and if they wish they had more of an education and training on.”
Shootings have continued to occur in the U.S., with the most high profile being at schools such as Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. in 2012, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. in 2018, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and most recently at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, Colo. Some students at San Marin worry about their friends at different schools.
“I don’t feel as afraid about going to school myself, but I do worry about my friends and family who don’t go to the same school as me since I’m farther from them and it’s harder to reach them,” senior Chloe Phan said.
Students generally feel safe because of how teachers and other staff members are trained, however they also feel that there are many vulnerable parts of the campus that add to their worries.
“I do feel safe [at school],” senior Natalia Green said. “The lockdown drills help me feel safe, and the fact that the teachers are trained. They tell us that they would protect us and put us before anything else. But the lack of metal detectors, and the fact that anyone can bring any weapons [to school does come to my mind].”
Students and teachers worry about shootings happening, especially because there are added safety concerns due to San Marin being an outdoor school.
“We have phones in the classroom, and we have radios for earthquakes,” Biotech teacher Timothy Blok said. “What I would like to change [would be] having the radios ready to use in the classroom and group texts from principal to teachers.”
On Sept. 7, 2025, students attending Coliseum Prep Academy in East Oakland joined the walkout with Student in Action. This was part of a nationwide event that was held in response to the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting in Minneapolis, Minn., that had occurred on Aug. 27, 2025. San Marin students also feel shocked and disappointed with the amount of school shootings that have happened in the U.S.
“It makes me upset that innocent lives are taken,” senior Brianna Pineda said. “We have so many resources in our country and none of them are used to fix the problem.”