U.S. lawmaker characterizes rate of school shootings as "mark of global shame": report

NEW YORK, June 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday characterized the rate of school shootings in the United States as a mark of global shame, reported major news portal Insider.

Addressing Becky Pringle, the president of the National Education Association during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on gun violence, the New York Democrat asked, "Between 2009 and 2018, how many school shootings did the United States have?" "288," Pringle responded.

Ocasio-Cortez then asked how many school shootings the country's G7 partners - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK - collectively had during the same period. "Five," Pringle said.

"That means that between 2009 and 2018 the United States saw 57 times more school shootings than other G7 countries combined," said Insider in its report.

"Two hundred eighty eight versus five. This is not normal. Not only is it not normal, it is internationally embarrassing and delegitimizing to the United States. Because for all the billions and trillions that this body authorizes in the name of national security, we can't even keep our kids safe from their school being turned into a war-zone," Ocasio-Cortez added.