We all know there is an epidemic of gun violence and we are all shocked every time we hear of the latest murder. But did you know that far more kids are killing themselves with guns??? I didn’t know it. Yet, a little research into youth gun violence uncovers the horrific number of children who use guns to kill themselves. Suicide with a gun is 60 percent higher than Homicide with a gun among youths.
Is it social media? Is it an epidemic of depression? Well, yes, in a way. Studies done after the pandemic showed that locking kids in the house for months caused a high rate of death among kids and young adults—not from a deadly virus—but from the quick and easy method of using a gun to kill oneself. Many kids have not really recovered from the emotional damage caused by the lock up. And yes, social media plays a part as well.
A huge study reported by the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that the level of anxiety and depression doubled in children and adolescents during COVID-19 lock downs compared with pre-pandemic levels, and the anxiety increased as the time in lockdown continued. In 2021, 30 percent of high school girls said they had considered suicide, but the suicide rate among boys in 2021 was almost four times higher.
Meanwhile, Indiana’s strong belief in the 2nd Amendment has yielded law changes that make guns easier and easier to obtain. Guns are sold on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, no questions asked, and the flood of firearms are fueling teenage suicides and shootouts like the OK Corral almost every weekend.
Most counselors will tell you that a young man who is scared enough to shoot, or angry enough to shoot is as mentally confused as the young man who is severely depressed or anxious. Sadly, parents are sometimes the last to know, but for those who have a child who is depressed or angry and aggressive, weapons should be locked in a safe place or removed from the home entirely, because the split-second result of pulling the trigger of a firearm makes suicide attempts with guns a 90 percent bet they’ll succeed, and the act of killing someone else, generally leads to years in a prison cell.
We have to let our children know that they are loved and valued, that their lives can impact others in a powerful and meaningful way, and that nothing anyone says to them is ever worth taking their own lives. It is the job of parents to safeguard their kids, to remove them from dangerous situations, to call the police or to find intervention specialists to address mental issues.
Let’s face it, we live in tough atmosphere today and too many of our children are frightened and depressed. Parents are the first and most important line of defense and there is help out there if they need it.
Nancy
Published by