Children and Gun Violence.

For many families, August means back to school. It’s a time of excitement, nervous energy, and connection. Due to the vast number of school shootings in recent years, August also brings anxiety and apprehension. According to a report from the Washington Post, more than 356,000 children have experienced gun violence at school since the Columbine mass shooting in 1999. Ignoring the effect of gun violence on our kids will not make it disappear, but instead leave them isolated with their fear and confusion. 

This month Episcopal Peace Fellowship invites you to acknowledge these difficult, sometimes conflicting feelings with our Pray - Study - Act resources. 

 PRAY

It’s become tradition in many Episcopal Churches to offer a Blessing of the Backpacks on the Sunday prior to the first day of school. This year, include a prayer for children’s safety and fear such as, 

 Almighty and merciful God, at the start of another school year we pray that you would lead and guide teachers, staff, and parents as well as the children whom they teach. We pray that our school campuses will be places of safety and sanctuary, of encouragement, discovery, and learning. We pray that your peace will replace fear, anxiety, and frustration. Stem the tide of gun violence and reduce the presence of bullying, so that our children might flourish in schools that value their well-being, safety, and development. Help us rise to the great responsibility of being faithful stewards of our children. May they flourish and step into the bright future you envisioned for them.  Amen

STUDY
According to the CDC, firearms are the leading cause of death for American children.  While school shootings attract the most media attention, children are most at risk of gun violence at home. Why? Because of the access children have to guns within their own home or that of a family or friend. A 2021 study of child access to firearms by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 33% of gun-owning parents who thought their child could not access a household firearm had a child who reported they could. 

These sobering statistics do not only impact young children who unintentionally shoot a firearm. In 75% of youth firearm suicides for which the gun storage method could be identified, the gun was stored loaded and unlocked. Access to guns in the home increases the risk of suicide by 300%.  This CDC data shows that nearly 40% of child gun deaths are suicides—nearly 700 child gun suicides occur each year. 

Conversations with children about responsible gun ownership is not enough. As adults, we must remove their access to all firearms in the home. Spend time this month studying best practices of safe gun storage and then put your learnings into practice.

ACT

While thoughts and prayers are critical to changing the hearts of our legislators, they are not enough. Prayer must be coupled with action.  This month research your state’s  Child Access Protection (CAP) Laws.  These vary from state to state as there are no federal CAP laws or safe storage laws. The strongest state CAP laws hold parents or guardians criminally liable when a minor gains access to a negligently stored firearm. The weakest CAP laws impose liability on an adult who leaves a firearm accessible to a minor if that minor both accesses the firearm and uses it to cause bodily injury or death. If you live in one of the 26 states without CAP laws or in one of the many with weak CAP laws, write your state legislators urging them to hold adults accountable for negligent gun storage. 

By The Rev. Allison Liles