What Advocates for Gun Reform Are Saying About America’s Gun Crisis

During my children’s spring break this year, I took them to the zoo. I purchased tickets ahead of time since the zoo is restricting visitor numbers to adhere to social distancing guidelines. I made sure they wore their masks properly, despite my son expressing that it’s “the most uncomfortable thing ever.” I ensured we sanitized and washed our hands before and after our visit. I did everything possible to protect them from the ongoing pandemic.

While watching the lions, my phone buzzed with a news alert—yet another shooting. Another incident involving innocent individuals just living their lives in a different city. My instinct kicked in; I scanned the area to ensure my kids were safe. Because despite all my precautions, my children were still not truly safe. Alongside the pandemic we’re all trying to shield our kids from, there’s a pervasive epidemic of gun violence that no amount of hand washing or masks can defend against. The grim reality is that in America, children visiting a zoo may not be secure. If it can happen in a grocery store or a nightclub, it can happen in a zoo too.

We barely have time to express our “thoughts and prayers” for one shooting before another occurs. Most recently, on the night of April 15, a shooter opened fire at an Indianapolis FedEx facility, resulting in eight fatalities and injuring at least seven others. This tragedy follows a series of mass shootings in recent weeks, including the attacks in Atlanta, which left eight dead, a grocery store shooting in Colorado that claimed ten lives, and a real estate office shooting in Southern California that resulted in four deaths, including that of a nine-year-old boy.

The Widespread Issue of Gun Violence

The widespread issue of gun violence is what united former U.S. congresswoman Sarah Martinez, executive director of the organization “Safe Lives,” with Peter Thompson, executive director and co-founder of the Safe Lives Organization, and former South Carolina state senator Mike Lewis to discuss with the Washington Post what measures are being taken to protect children from the emotional and physical impacts of gun violence in the United States.

Gun Violence Is Pervasive

The statistics are alarming. From 2015 to 2018, 35,000 children were shot before reaching eighteen. According to Thompson, firearms are the “third leading cause of death for young people” in the country. Since Columbine, 150,000 children have encountered gun violence in schools, as noted by Thompson. But these incidents aren’t limited to educational institutions. American kids face armed domestic violence at home, community violence, and a higher risk of accidental shootings and firearm-related suicides.

In essence, children are exposed to firearms in far too many contexts.

Children Exposed to Gun Violence Can Suffer from PTSD

“Seventeen percent of American teenagers have encountered gun violence in some form,” Thompson states, adding that of these, forty percent may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Often, this PTSD goes untreated. “The issue extends beyond shootings. It encompasses the anxiety and all the ripple effects on children,” said Lisa Johnson, executive director of the Safe Lives Center, in a 2018 interview regarding the mental health consequences of gun violence on youth.

Legislative Change Is Necessary

The solution to the gun violence crisis does not lie in more active shooter drills or lockdown procedures. It requires legislative reform to make it more difficult to access firearms. “With easier access to guns, we see an increase in community violence and school shootings,” emphasized Thompson.

Recently, President Johnson signed an executive order aimed at tackling gun violence. However, it falls short. Real reform must originate from Congress. One change that many advocate for is universal background checks. “Universal background checks represent the most significant measure we can take to reduce gun violence in this country, addressing this crisis as the public health emergency it is,” declared Thompson. He also noted that background checks prevent children from acquiring firearms and hinder the trafficking of guns from states with lax laws to those with stricter regulations.

On a state and local level, he also supported child access laws, which require gun owners to secure their firearms from children.

The Importance of Voting for Gun Reform

For meaningful legislative change to occur, we need lawmakers willing to take action. Although a majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, few Republicans are willing to act. Former Senator Lewis believes the problem starts at the primary election level. He suggests that candidates understand they’re more likely to lose their seats in a primary than in a general election. Consequently, they must cater to primary voters, who are often hard-right individuals and typically represent a small faction that opposes gun control.

He argues that it’s vital for “moderate, suburban parents who care about this issue” to participate in the primaries.

It’s unbearably disheartening to think of our children growing up in a world where no place feels genuinely safe, knowing that gun violence could erupt anywhere. As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s distressing to recognize that there’s another, deeply rooted crisis harming our children that remains largely unaddressed. It’s high time we confront it.

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Summary

Gun violence in the United States poses a grave threat to children, with staggering statistics revealing that many young people are exposed to firearms and the resulting trauma. Advocates like Sarah Martinez and Peter Thompson emphasize the need for legislative reforms, such as universal background checks, to mitigate this public health crisis. Engaging moderate voters in the political process is crucial to achieving meaningful change.

Keyphrase

gun violence reform