Mass shooters have killed hundreds of people throughout US history in public settings including stores, theatres, workplaces and schools.
In the wake of this week's Nashville school shooting, which killed three students and three adults, US President Joe Biden described attacks on children as "sick”, echoing remarks he made in 2021.
"Gun violence in this country is an epidemic," he said at the time.
"Let me say it again: Gun violence in this country is an epidemic, and it’s an international embarrassment."
The charts below illustrate the mounting toll of gun violence in America.
Mass shootings continue to rise across the country
America has already witnessed 130 mass shootings in the first three months of 2023.
That's according to the Gun Violence Archive, which states there's already been 10,124 gun-related deaths in the US this year.
Of those deaths, 415 were children and teenagers.
Mass shootings have been steadily rising in the US over the last decade alone, with 647 incidents recorded last year, compared to 273 in 2014.
There have already been 39 incidents of gunfire on school grounds
In 2023 there have been at least 39 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 17 deaths and 30 injuries nationally.
That's according to Everytown For Gun Safety, an American nonprofit organisation which advocates for gun control and against gun violence.
If a mass shooting is defined as resulting in the death of four or more people, not including the perpetrator, 175 people have died in 15 such events connected to US schools and colleges between 1999's Columbine High School massacre and this week's shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.
Guns 'leading cause of death' in US children
Firearms have surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans aged 1 to 19, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data through to 2021.
"I never thought when I started my public life that guns would be the number one killer of children in America," Mr Biden said on Wednesday following the Nashville shooting.
"Guns number one. It's sick."
While the number of gun-related deaths across American is confronting, the number of injuries sustained is even greater.
The impacts of gun violence are far reaching, with Everytown's research estimating 3 million children in the US witness shootings per year.
Mass shootings involving assault weapons are far deadlier
History has shown that when when assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are used in mass shootings, they result in far more deaths and injuries.
Between 2009 and 2020, the five deadliest mass shooting incidents in the US all involved the use of assault weapons and/or high-capacity magazines, including:
- Las Vegas, Nevada — 61 deaths
- Orlando, Florida (Pulse nightclub) — 50 deaths
- Newtown, Connecticut (Sandy Hook Elementary) — 28 deaths
- Sutherland Springs (church) — 27 deaths
- El Paso, Texas (Walmart) — 23 deaths
The right to bear arms is enshrined in the United States constitution.
Mr Biden has called for bipartisan action to help stop such shootings, including a renewed ban on assault weapons, saying he has done what he could through executive action but needs congress to step up.
When asked what legislative action could help address the rising tide of gun violence, several Republican lawmakers in congress have said there is little they can do.
"It's unacceptable that Republicans are saying there is nothing that we can do," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"Our schools, our churches, our places of worship have now become deadly places for many Americans."
