The coronavirus pandemic has shaken up American life as we know it in almost every way. But, on the bright side, there have actually been a handful of positive changes that have taken place as a result of the nationwide lockdown.

Pollution in the air has dropped significantly in the United States due to the lockdowns in place, providing us with a glimpse at what a post-carbon world could look like. Nasa actually revealed that NO₂ pollution lingering above New York City and other major metropolitan areas in the northeastern USA had been reduced by 30% in March 2020.

And that isn’t the only positive change that’s taken place! Americans all around the country are adopting dogs and cats from shelters at an unprecedented rate. Ever since coronavirus began to spread within the U.S. and quarantines were set into motion, countless stories have been published of shelters and rescues running out of pets.

Another big consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was completely unintended, was that March 2020 was the first March since 2002 that a school shooting didn’t occur within the United States. This is a huge achievement, considering just how many school shootings have occurred over the years in the United States.

This year, most schools in the U.S. were completely closed in early March, as a preventative measure to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

In March of 2002, a student who was only 13 years old brought a gun and a hit list to school but was stopped by a school resource officer before he was able to pull the trigger.

According to information on Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization that monitors gun violence in the United States, there were seven shootings in March 2020. However, what separates these shootings from shootings in past years is the circumstances of them. Four of these shootings were accidental discharges, one took place between adults on a high school football field, and two occurred on college campuses, but no students were involved.

It’s eerie to think that in order for the U.S. to accomplish a school-shooting-free March, every school in the nation had to be shut down.

A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. right after car crashes.

Another source, Everytown Research, reported that there have already been 33 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2020, resulting in ten deaths and 15 injuries. Comparatively, in 2019 there were at least 130 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 32 deaths and 77 injuries.

Needless to say, it’s great news that school shootings are becoming less frequent, although we hope that they continue to decline after quarantine ends.

However, something to note is that gun sales have increased dramatically since the first cases of COVID-19 emerged in the United States. The FBI conducted 3.7 million background checks in March 2020, which is the highest total of background checks since 1998.

More than 2 million guns were sold in March alone.

We’re hopeful that the rise in gun sales won’t lead to an increase in shootings later on, but with The United States history of school shootings, we can’t be too sure.

“When this pandemic ends and we emerge from this physical distancing reality, the guns will remain,” said Guns Down America executive director Igor Volsky. “Will there be increased mass shootings, school shootings, shootings at home, at work, at concerts?”

One thing is certain though. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a taste of what the country could be like without school shootings, and it is a state of peace and nonviolence. We’re hopeful that we can continue to create a future where kids aren’t shot down in school, and where children have access to clean and breathable air.

Although times are hard, we can always look to the bright side to learn and grow and become better as a society, especially for the sake of our children’s safety and wellbeing.

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Sources: Upworthy, NBC NY, CBS news