THE MATH BEHIND:

First graders today have never had to do an active shooter drill.

Overview

Picture this: a classroom full of six-year-olds, laughing, learning, trading crayons — not crouching under desks, not rehearsing how to hide from gunfire. In our reality, that scene feels almost impossible. By 2016, 95% of American public schools were running active shooter drills. Childhood became shadowed by fear.

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But in the timeline where women shared power since 1925, the story changed. Women legislators passed gun safety laws decades earlier. Women researchers funded prevention that steadily reduced violence. Women educators prioritized mental health over lockdowns.

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By the 1990s, school shootings had fallen so low the drill culture never began. Which is why, in 2025, 6-year-olds know classrooms filled with crayons, not crouching.

Reality data points that informed the research

Women sponsor gun safety legislation at up to double the male rate.

Doubling prevention funding reduces violence rates by 14–18%

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More resources go to violence prevention when women allocate budgets.

A 10% increase in women’s representation yields an 8% increase in responsiveness to public safety issues.

Women in education leadership implement mental health and prevention programs 37% more often than men.

Events that led up to it

1925

Alternate reality begins

In this experiment, we went back 100 years and made women and men equal in the economy. Key changes included making women 50% of company executives, 50% of stock market investors, 50% of the startup founders getting funded, and 50% of financial decision makers at home.

1930s

Early gun reform introduced

Women legislators begin passing firearm restrictions and licensing laws decades ahead of schedule.

1960s

Comprehensive gun laws enacted

Strong bipartisan reforms regulate sales, background checks, and ownership.

1970s

Violence prevention research scales

Women-led budgets prioritize public health–driven approaches, cutting gun deaths dramatically.

1980s

Schools choose prevention over drills

Instead of lockdowns, schools invest in counseling, safety programs, and early intervention.

1990s

School shootings fall below crisis level

School shootings fall below crisis level
Incidents drop below 0.5 per year nationwide — never prompting a drill culture.

2025

Children grow up drill-free

A generation of 6-year-olds has never experienced an active shooter drill.