Trump and Mike Pence are expected to appear at the National Rifle Association’s annual leadership summit in Indianapolis.
And If you are a parent, in the US, this should really upset you! Why, because a president, and the Vice-president are supposed to enforce and promote measures to protect all under his responsibility, yet, former president and vice-president not only supported ownership and sale of firearms as an unrestricted right during their term in office, but also seek to promote and gather support from those opposing regulations that would reduce the overall numbers in deaths and injuries with firearms.
Whatever is said at the conference, it must be refuted! Because, and you must understand this, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were a total of 84,709 firearm-related deaths among minors in the United States between 2003 and 2022.
The reality is, the widespread and ease of availability of firearms in the US is deadly for all, especially to children. The body of a minor, particularly those under 5 years of age, is more fragile than an adult's body due to their smaller size and less-developed bones, muscles, and organs. This can increase their vulnerability to serious injury or death from a gunshot wound. In addition, young children are at a higher risk of accidental shootings because they may not understand the danger posed by firearms and are more likely to play with them if they are not properly stored.
However, as I wrote about it in my previous post “Unseen Scars: Understanding and Supporting Children's Mental Health after Mass Shootings”, as parents and educators, we all want to protect and nurture the children in our lives. However, in the face of recent mass shootings, it's become increasingly difficult to shield them from the harsh realities of gun violence. While we might be aware of the immediate dangers, the long-term psychological effects on children are often less visible but just as significant.
Despite evidence that stricter gun control measures can reduce the frequency and severity of mass shootings, there remains significant disagreement among Americans on the issue. While some advocate for tighter gun control measures, others strongly believe in the importance of protecting gun ownership rights. A majority of Americans believe that gun control measures will have little-to-no effect on reducing the number of mass shootings, likely due to this underlying commitment to gun ownership rights. In contrast, many other developed countries, such as Canada, support a ban on civilian-owned firearms.
Keep an eye on my substack, I will be posting about this soon!
Are you upset?