One of the most heartbreaking aspects of Monday’s shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, which left three children and three adults dead, was that it was well known. Watching the news reminded him of the day, less than a year later, when 21 people died at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The update that appeared on my phone’s screen dominated my thoughts with an equal mix of fear and anger.
Because of the regular occurrence of gun violence in the United States, some health officials, including the American Academy of Family Medicine, haveAAFPMore), calling it an “epidemic”. There are good reasons for this. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Tragically, gun violence is taking a toll on America’s youth. According to data from Everytown for gun safety, a non-profit advocating for sensible gun laws, states that 4.6 million children live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked gun, and approximately 3 million children each year I have witnessed gun violence. for the last 10 years.
These statistics may sound alarming to those of us who don’t work with children, but they’re numbers American pediatricians know all too well. Like, I am disappointed and want to take action.” Scott Hadland, M.D.The director of adolescent care at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, he told SELF. Lois Lee, MD“As a doctor, and especially as a carer of children, I am devastated and angry,” said Dr. Dr. Lee told SELF.
Below, we consider three impacts of America’s gun violence epidemic on children, and how these impacts will continue until sensible gun control legislation is passed.
Mass shootings leave long-lasting scars, both physically and mentally.
Dr. Lee, author of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), says gun violence is unique in that it affects and traumatizes everyone, not just those injured or killed by firearms. described as a public health problem. policy statement About gun violence. “Firearm deaths leave lasting scars on families and communities like no other disease,” she says.
Among other things, survivors of school shootings can experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, depression, substance use disorders, and debilitating anxiety. American Psychological Association.
Dr. Hadland does not know when or if these will abate as children who have experienced gun violence grow up. [they] Live with the injuries and emotional trauma of a lifetime. “
In America, more and more children are dying from murder and suicide.
Since 2017, guns have been the number one killer of children, according to AAP policy statements. Before that, car accidents were the main cause. (For context: In 2021, more children will die from gun violence than from cancer and addiction combined. Everytown.)
