The Impact of Firearms on Children: Responding with a Public Health Approach

08/29/2022

The Impact of Firearms on Children: Responding with a Public Health Approach

If we are going to have real peace, and win the war against violence, we must start with children. By settling disputes with their peers, children gain an understanding of how to respect the needs of others while meeting their own needs.
Betsy Evans, Conflict Resolution Specialist

Alarming statistics about gun violence, children and youth were reported in a March 2022 Pediatrics article by Dr. Annie Andrews and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina and Vanderbilt University:

The statistics speak for themselves:

90% of all firearm deaths of 0-14 year old children in high-income countries happen in the United States.
In 2019, firearm injury surpassed motor vehicle collisions as the number one cause of death for children ages 0-19 years.
Homicide is the most common cause of firearm death for children 0-19 years of age.
Suicide comprises more than one-third of firearm deaths for children 10-14 years of age.
In 2019, 10.32/100,000 Black youth were killed by firearms, compared with 0.72/100,000 white youth.
In 2019, 3.69/100,000 white children committed suicide with a firearm, representing a gradual increase over time.

Treating gun violence as a public health issue means identifying and mitigating risk factors and has shown promising results. The Cure Violence Health Model, developed by Gary Slutkin of the University of Illinois at Chicago, focuses on 3 things:

Detect and interrupt potentially violent conflicts.
Identify and change behaviors of people at highest risk through direct outreach.
Mobilize the community to change norms by engaging community leaders, residents, business owners, and faith leaders to raise awareness about the devastating impact of gun violence.

Skills for conflict prevention and resolution can be fostered early on. In the Exchange Reflections "Conflict Resolution Strategies with Preschoolers," authors Cheryl Polk and Kenneth Sherman conclude, "As they navigate conflicts with the help of a caring adult, children learn the real power of expressing themselves and considering the needs of others, and experience the feelings of control and competence that come from contributing to the resolution of a problem.

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