Philadelphia community leaders working on plan to continue reducing gun violence, keep kids safe
New research says gun deaths of children increased in states that loosened gun laws.
Gun violence is considered a public health crisis, especially now with a growing number of children and teenagers getting their hands on firearms. Teenagers were among the injured in a Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.
New research says gun deaths of children and teenagers rose significantly in states that enacted more permissive gun laws after the Supreme Court limited restrictions.
Pennsylvania and Delaware have permissive gun laws, according to the study. New Jersey is considered strict.
In Philadelphia, gun violence is down, but advocates say there are still too many children being caught in the crossfire.
"We are looking for recommendations to continue to reduce the gun violence in the city," Javier Alverado, with Intercultural Family Services, said.
Alverado hosted the Hope Symposium on Gun Violence Prevention at Temple University.
"We're trying to be more deliberative in our efforts and be more coordinated [in reducing gun violence]," Scott Charles, the trauma outreach manager at Temple University Hospital, said.
Guns have overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of death among children, according to the CDC.
"The goal is to connect folks. The work often seems siloed, and we really want to push partnerships and collaboration," Alverado said. "And we hope together to put together some recommendations that will go to the mayor's office to address gun violence."
The new research in pediatrics says nationally, the increase in gun violence has most impacted Black children. The study found that the four states with the strictest gun laws, including New York, had a drop in children being killed by guns.
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