The Imprint: One Parent's Perspective of Their Child's Life Forever Changed Due to a Loss of a Peer

The Prevalence Of Victims Due To Gun Violence (Intentional Vs. Unintentional)

Pew Research Center (2023) reported, “The number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States increased 50% between 2019 and 2021,” (Gramlach, 2023). This research group also reported that “homicide was the largest single category of gun deaths among children and teens” (Gramlach, 2023). It is even more alarming that within this same report, it was reported that 7% of the total gun deaths reported were children ranging between the ages of 6 and 11 years of age (Gramlach, 2023). Naik‐Mathuria et al. (2023) shared, “Approximately 5,000 children and adolescents are killed by firearms each year, and 15% of those deaths were non-intentional” (Naik-Mathuria et al., 2023). It is indeed a sad reality. “American children are 21 to 23 times more likely to be killed by firearms than in other high-income countries” (Naik-Mathuria et al., 2023). With the prevalence of these statistics, schools are learning how to navigate this epidemic of children being victims of gun violence. Regardless of the intention, this loss of life is something not only to recognize but to be prepared to navigate as educators and administrators.