Research In Action

The past week has brought news of two unfathomable tragedies involving gun violence against children; last Friday, an argument that began at school ended with three teen boys being shot at Dilworth Park here in Philadelphia. On Monday in Wisconsin, a 15-year-old student opened fire in her school, killing a student and teacher and injuring six others.

Locally and nationally, there has been renewed dialogue about topics such as bullying, child access prevention laws, and school safety. A less frequently discussed topic is female perpetrators, which have occurred in just 2.3% of mass shootings from 1966 to 2019.

While we may never fully understand what drives a young person to pick up and fire a gun, as researchers and clinicians we do know that there are many ways adults can intervene to create safe and healthy communities for children. We do not need to accept that firearm injury is the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1-17 in the U.S. for the third year in a row. Instead, we should pursue public health prevention solutions to curb gun violence, including:

• Investing in evidence-based school bullying and aggression prevention programming, which can teach young children how to better manage difficult emotions and challenges which may be extremely helpful in the teenage years;
• Learning to identify early mental health warning signs;
• Supporting policies that have demonstrated effectiveness in protecting children, such as child access prevention (CAP) laws, universal background checks, limitations on assault-style weaponry, and improved funding of firearm-related research;
• Ensuring responsible, safe storage of firearms in homes where children live and visit;
• Conducting research to better understand teen gun access and co-existing behavioral health risk factors, such as in this 2019 CHOP-led study;
• Understanding and addressing the trauma of exposure to gun violence;
• Conducting research on school-based programs designed to specifically support young girls who are aggressive and have peer-related challenges, such as in this 2015 CHOP study.

There is no one solution to this complex crisis. But inaction is not an option when an average of 7 children and teens die every day from firearm violence, and exponentially more are exposed to some form of injury or death by firearm.

For tips to share with parents about talking to kids after a traumatic event, click here.