GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new analysis led by researchers from the University of Michigan shows how programs like Michigan’s “OK2SAY” have prevented attacks on schools and intervened for people dealing with suicidal thoughts.
The University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention partnered with the Sandy Hook Promise and North Carolina’s Say Something Anonymous Reporting System to compile its data. The study was published last week in the academic journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The study looked at all of the tips gathered by the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System between 2019 and 2023. In all, more than 18,000 unique tips were sent in for a system that covers 103 school districts and 156 charter schools.
According to the analysis, 51% of the tips were considered “life-threatening” and approximately 1 in 10 involved firearms. Of those tips, 38% mentioned the potential for a school shooting and 22% focused on seeing or knowing of an incident where a weapon was brought to school.