Michael Brown. Sandy Hook. Trayvon Martin. Aurora. Columbine.
Within the last decade, the narrative of children and teenagers being killed by gun violence has become an all-too-familiar narrative in the American public sphere. In a recent report compiled by The Brady Campaign, statistics revealed that in 2011 alone, 19,403 children were shot and 2,703 children and teenagers lost their lives to guns.
That’s seven of America’s youth under the age of 20 killed every day.
In the book of Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Jesus calls a child to join the group.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” he answers.
If as Christians, children represent God’s creation in its most pure and innocent form, why is it that as Americans, we continue to let children die preventable deaths from gun violence? Gun control policies are a difficult discourse for the American public. Yet one thing we can all agree on is that children should not be killed.
Of the 2,703 children killed in 2011, 61 percent were homicides, 32 percent were suicides and 5 percent were unintentional shooting. These statistics propel gun-related deaths to the number two leading cause of death for youth in America.
One frightening aspect of The Brady Campaign’s report was that 1.7 million children live in a house with an unlocked, loaded gun. This statistic is significant for a multitude of reasons.
First, a 2002 study by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education, which looked at 37 targeted school shooting incidents, found that more than two-thirds of the attackers had acquired the gun(s) from their own home or that of a relative.
Second, 82 percent of firearm suicides among youth under 18 use a firearm belonging to a family member. When children and teenagers live in the presence of guns, gun possession becomes commonplace and gun use becomes normalized.
Another important takeaway from the Brady Campaign’s report was the strongly disproportionate percent of deaths for children of color. In 2011, the homicide rate for youth of color was 6.72 percent, compared with .95 percent for white youth. This inequality should be seen as a shameful disgrace by the American people and especially for Christians, who affirm the inherent divinity of each individual.
There are many other factors that influence the statistics behind the high rate of gun violence among children: the systemic racism of our justice system, the lack of proper mental health support, the militarization of police. The list can go on.
Yet how much longer can we silently watch as children die from gun-related deaths? How many more Michael Browns? How many more Sandy Hooks? These names cannot just be memories that make our hearts ache. They must be catalysts for action.
Although gun violence remains a very divisive issue in American society, the larger issue at stake is protecting the lives of God’s most precious creation. I hope that is something we can all agree on.
Kaeley McEvoy is Campaigns Assistant for Sojourners.
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