Unraveling the Threads: Exploring the Nexus of Gun Violence in America

Gun Violence’s Youth Impact

Is the problem with gun violence the people or the guns? An abundant amount of American citizens in the United States of America are at risk of being shot on a daily basis. Many American citizens are frequently coming across an experience of gun violence in America. Whether it’s a personal experience or something they heard from a close friend, family, neighbor, or even on the news. Various Americans are aware that there is a problem but unsure of what to do or simply don’t care enough. Gun violence is a here-and-now problem we all should be working towards fixing.

Initially, we are all well aware that gun violence can affect anyone, no matter the shape, size, or color. But we often undermine the effects gun violence takes on the youth. In contrast to adults, the youth is still developing. However, someone can argue that everyone is constantly developing. Nonetheless, adults have a better understanding of things compared to the youth. Gun violence has no age. When it comes down to gun violence, the shooter isn’t going to stray away from shooting toward you because you’re a minor. Cruelty has no limit, especially in the land of the free, where Teens or children are killed daily. In 2019 a child or Teen was killed by a gun every two hours and thirty- six minutes. That right there is extremely absurd, now we have angry grieving families awaiting justice for their child/ren. Justice that they may or may not get.

Close Friend’s Tragic Shooting

When it comes to gun violence, it’s all about the here and the now. A perfect example of that is our close friend. About a year and a half ago, he was casually hanging out with 2 of his friends here in Boston. A car passed by them and did a U-turn. Someone then got out of the car and proceeded to start shooting at them. A total of 13 shots were fired. Out of the 13 shots, 4 hit him. He was only 17 years old and a very active person. All the activities he loved and had a passion for at the time he had to drop due to his injuries. Not being able to do the things he loved or the things he wanted to do led him to depression and constantly put him in a bad state of mind, and to this very day, the shooters are unknown and still out there in the streets.

If we backtrack to before he was shot, you’ll know that he was a bright young kid. Yet how does that make him different from the other kids? It doesn’t. Just like millions of other kids that we’re sure were just as bright as him, nothing much is done for them. Some possibly get two weeks of recognition on the news, while others are not even mentioned. But what is actually being done to address this major issue that is creating trauma for all these young kids? Especially in minority communities. Sadly this occasion was not his only encounter with a gun, and it is the case for many people. He knows other people that have been shot and has even had other experiences that included a gun. Emphasizing that no gun was ever meant to be directed at him. Although if it was, gun violence is not an issue kids should be dealing with.

Youth Victims and Urgent Reforms

The lives of many are cut short because of this tragic trend that consumes this country. Gun violence is a lethal subject that is spreading like wildfire that needs to be put out. So tell me, is the real question, are Americans at fault for the increased death rates of youths, or are guns the problem? At the bright and innocent age of three, Kennedy Powell was shot on June third in the chest by a drive-by gunman outside her grandparent’s Michigan home.

September twenty-seventh, in North St Louis County, Antonio Brown jr was asleep in the comfort of his home when bullets pierced through his bedroom walls; he never got to wake up. He died from multiple gunshot wounds. Antonio was just fifteen.

Ten-year-old Eddie Hill IV was shot on July twentieth, sitting on the porch and spending time with his grandparents and loved ones but yet again, another drive-by shooting. And unfortunately, there are many more names that, on this paper alone, would not fit. All the stated names are recent cases from 2022 with parents or guardians awaiting justice.

The gun control act of 1968 prohibits certain people of class from possessing such arms, but the restraint on access to these weapons is thin, causing rates to increase daily where three to four americans under the age of 18 are murdered by a firearm despite these troubling patterns. Some of our elected officials are reluctant to defend our youth from crimes gun related. Instead, they are neglecting sensible gun laws and even advocating for unwise policies that will put kids and teenagers in much greater danger. This needs to change.

References:

1. “Gun Violence in America: Statistics, Causes & Solutions.” Brady United Against Gun Violence. https://www.bradyunited.org/gun-violence/statistics
2. “Gun Violence: Global Impact and a Call to Action.” World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/fs_gun_violence.pdf
3. “Gun Violence and Youth.” American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/violence/gun-violence-youth
4. Smith, T.M., Son, J. & Wilson, M. “Is It the Gun or the Gunman? Automatic Weapons and Homicides in the United States.” Homicide Stud (2015) 19: 317. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767915572197
5. “Youth and Gun Violence: An Analysis of CDC Data.” Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. https://giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Youth-Gun-Violence-An-Analysis-of-CDC-Data.pdf
6. “Gun Control Act of 1968.” United States Congress. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-82/STATUTE-82-Pg1213