Over the past decade, the firearm suicide rate among children and teens has increased by 36%. Today, I wanted to blog about how exposure to gun violence has an impact on teens' psychological and mental well-beings and affects their school performance among many other things.
Annually, more then 4,300 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed and more then 17,000 are shot and wounded-this is an average of about 60 children and teens in the U.S. per day. In addition gun violence extends to not only those involved but to those who are watching as 3 million children witness a shooting per year.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens. In addition, when U.S. children and teens are killed with guns,65% are homicides- more than 2,800 deaths per year.
Gun violence is very prevalent in U.S. schools as well which creates questions about how much violence there will be for future generations. According to an Everytown analysis there were 720 incidents of gunfire on school grounds between 2013 and 2022. All incidents of gun violence at school infringe on the safety of the students and should be prevented if possible.
Children and teens who live in urban areas are significantly at higher risk for a gun homicide compared to rural areas. 92% of all hospitalizations of children for firearm injuries occur in urban areas.
Racial Impact
The children/teens who are affected by gun violence does differ per race as many other crisis will. Black children and teens in the U.S. are more than 18 times more likely than their white peers to die by gun homicide. In addition Latinx children are 3 times more likely than their white peers to die by gun homicide.
Impact on Children/Teens
Children are harmed in many ways when they witness gun violence one of these being their physical health. When children live in areas where gun violence is common, they spend less time being physically active because the areas they play in aren't as safe. Stress related to gun violence also affects children's behaviors and performance in school. School-aged children have lower grades and more absences when they are exposed to violence. In addition high school students have lower test scores and lower rates of graduation when exposed to violence. Youth survivors of firearm injuries are at an increased risk of mental health and substance use issues in addition to physical health conditions.
Not only does gun violence affect ths mental health of children but impacts can extend to the family members of youth gun violence victims.
Prevention Techniques
In order to prevent and protect our youth from gun violence, gun safety laws must be put in place and there must be more control over firearms on a school and community level.
A few prevention techniques...
Background Checks On All Gun Sales
Extreme Risk Laws: These can block a person from having a gun if they pose danger to themselves or others.
Secure Gun Storage and Child Access Prevention Laws: Gun-owning parents can help by storing firearms in a secure manner within their households.
Crisis Intervention Programs: Schools should work with their community to create crisis intervention plans that can be enacted before a person commits an act of violence
Youth-Centric Intervention Programs: These programs currently exist and should continue to spread as they help children cope with witnessing firearm violence.
For more information:
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