As far as most parents were concerned, an informal prayer meeting, held every morning in front of Heath High School, was a safe, nurturing environment for their children. But on December 8, 1997, that perception was profoundly altered when a bizarre shootout brought tragedy and unwanted attention to the 27,000-person town of Paducah, Kentucky. Fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal, armed with a pistol, two shotguns, two rifles, and 700 rounds of ammunition, gunned down eight of his classmates before anyone could stop him. In the aftermath, while families mourned the loss of their children, others attempted to understand why this senseless tragedy occurred. Few could offer satisfactory explanations for a motive or factors leading to the event but most could not deny the extent to which gun violence had made its way into contemporary society.

There are more than 223 million firearms in the United States. With an increase in the number of incidents...