During my children’s spring break this year, I took them to the zoo. I pre-purchased tickets because the zoo is limiting the number of visitors to adhere to social distancing rules. I made sure they wore their masks properly, even though my son claims it’s “the most uncomfortable thing ever.” I ensured we sanitized and washed our hands before and after our visit. I took every possible measure to protect them from the ongoing pandemic.
While observing the lions, my phone buzzed with a news alert—another shooting. Another instance of innocent people being targeted while going about their daily lives in yet another city. Instinctively, I looked around. To keep my kids safe. Despite all the precautions I’d taken, my children still weren’t truly safe. Alongside the pandemic, there exists a national gun violence crisis that no amount of masking or hand washing can shield them from. The grim reality is that in America, children visiting a zoo might not be safe. If it can happen in a grocery store or a nightclub, it could easily happen here—in a zoo.
It feels like we barely finish sharing our “thoughts and prayers” for one shooting before another occurs. Most recently, late on April 15th, a gunman opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, resulting in eight fatalities and at least seven injuries. This tragedy follows a series of mass shootings in the past month, including the Atlanta massage parlors where eight lost their lives, the grocery store shooting in Colorado that claimed ten lives, and a real estate office in Southern California where four people, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed.
The alarming prevalence of gun violence is what led together former U.S. congresswoman Sarah Johnson, executive director of the Safe America Coalition, Michael Greene, co-founder of the organization, and former South Carolina state senator John Adams to discuss with the Washington Post what is being done to safeguard children from the impact of gun violence in the United States.
Gun Violence Is Ubiquitous
The statistics are staggering. Between 2015 and 2018, 35,000 children were shot before reaching adulthood. According to Greene, guns are the “third leading cause of death for young people” in the U.S. Since Columbine, approximately 150,000 children have encountered gun violence in schools. However, the threat extends beyond educational settings; kids in America face armed domestic violence at home, community violence, unintentional shootings, and firearm-related suicides. In essence, they are exposed to guns in too many places and situations.
Children Exposed to Gun Violence Can Experience PTSD
“Seventeen percent of America’s teens have encountered gun violence in some form,” Greene states, adding that forty percent of those will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Often, this PTSD goes untreated. “The issue is more than just shootings; it encompasses the anxiety and broader effects on children,” noted Laura Fields, executive director of the Safe America Coalition, in a 2018 interview regarding the mental health impacts of gun violence on youth.
Universal Background Checks Are Essential
The solution to the gun violence epidemic is not more active shooter drills or lockdown procedures; it is legislative reform to restrict access to firearms. “Increased access to guns leads to more community violence and school shootings,” Greene observed. Recently, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at tackling gun violence, but this alone is insufficient. Real reform must come from Congress.
One key reform many advocate for is universal background checks. “[U]niversal background checks are the most significant step we can take to reduce gun violence rates in this country and address this issue as a public health crisis,” said Greene. He pointed out that background checks prevent children from acquiring guns and hinder the trafficking of firearms from states with lax laws into those with stricter regulations. On a local level, he also supports child access laws, which require gun owners to secure their firearms away from children.
Engagement in the Primaries Is Crucial for Gun Reform
For meaningful legislative change, we need lawmakers willing to act. While a majority of Americans support stricter gun laws, few Republicans are inclined to take action. Former Senator Adams notes that the issue begins in the primary election process. He suggests that candidates understand they are more likely to lose their seats in a primary than in a general election, leading them to cater to primary voters, who often skew conservative and are less supportive of gun control.
He believes the solution lies in mobilizing “moderate, suburban voters who care about this issue” to participate in the primaries.
It’s profoundly disheartening to consider that our children are growing up in a world where no place feels safe, where gun violence could erupt anywhere. The knowledge that even as we inch toward the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there exists an ongoing national crisis that continues to harm our children is deeply troubling. It’s time to confront this issue head-on.
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Summary:
Gun violence in America is an alarming crisis, with thousands of children affected each year. Advocates like Sarah Johnson and Michael Greene emphasize the need for legislative reform, including universal background checks, to protect children and address the mental health impacts of exposure to violence. Engaging in the political process, especially during primaries, is essential for driving change.