The Pittsburgh Post-gazette on don’t take your guns to town:
The power and security promised by guns have always enticed young people — especially young men. But the allure of guns is based on lies. Guns are more likely to endanger people than to protect them, especially young people who are not trained to use them.
Much of the recent gun violence in and around Pittsburgh has involved teenagers, both as shooters and victims. Of the 56 people killed by guns in Pittsburgh last year, 15 were children, the Post-gazette has reported.
In 2020, firearms overtook auto accidents as the leading cause of death in children, with over 4,300 fatalities, about 10% of all gun-related deaths, research published by the New England Journal of Medicine shows . ...
Teenagers are strapped to protect themselves. Given the violence in the community, it’s easy to understand why packing a gun becomes routine. Guns become status symbols, but their proliferation puts everyone at risk.
Caitlin Mcnulty, executive director of Brookline Teen Outreach, said young people tell her that carrying a gun makes them “feel in control,” with power to handle chaotic circumstances. She and her staff try to convince them that carrying guns has the opposite effect.
... Vows to use guns only in self-defense are forgotten when the immature mind is forced to fight or flee.
Johnny Cash captured this psychology perfectly in his 1958 hit, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town.” Billy Joe defies his mother and carries his guns to the saloon, promising not to shoot without cause. When an older cowboy mocks him, however, he feels he has to defend his honor and reaches for his pistol. “But the stranger drew his gun and fired before he even saw.”
Enlightened gun control policies can alleviate the carnage, but they won’t eliminate the culture of violence. Schools and other institutions need to present kids with credible voices — voices of experience from the streets — who can show them the promise and allure of guns are lies. Until then, the cycle of violence will continue.