A school shooting is an armed attack at an educational institution, involving the use of a firearm. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple casualties. The United States has had the highest number of such shootings, over 50 times as many as all other G7 nations combined between 2009 and 2018. School shootings have sparked political debate over gun violence, gun rights, gun control, and zero tolerance policies, especially in the United States.