How do we respond if a child wants to know what the recently passed federal gun reform legislation means? What do parents, educators and other adults say when a child asks, “Does that mean I may not get shot and die?” We should meet any questions with clarity, patience and a great degree of empathy.
With our youths’ internet and social media access, they are aware of what is happening in our society. They are learning about mass shootings and other acts of violence that are happening at rates we have never seen: There have been over 250 mass shootings so far this year, according to the nonprofit research group Gun Violence Archive. The unconscionable act in late May of a lone gunman slaughtering 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, has caused fear and uncertainty in our children. Some feel like it could happen to them.
As we work to reassure our youths of their safety, how we talk about violence will affect how they understand it and who they perceive as causing it. I recall growing up and hearing the word “boogeyman” bandied about. While we children could not reach a consensus on how to define it, we knew it meant something that could do us harm. How we describe and define violence and those who are doing us harm is no different. It’s important to be clear about the message we send our youths and not equate every violent act as something that requires a long discussion.
Cases like the Uvalde tragedy and similarly shocking shootings at Columbine High School shooting in 1999 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, indeed, require full discussions that may require social and emotional support.
At the same time, not every violent act should be met with that type of response. If we don’t guard against that tendency, we stand the risk of creating extreme fear in our youths, which could lead to the development of hypervigilance. Psychologists define hypervigilance as extreme alertness or an over-awareness. It’s often linked to adverse psychosocial outcomes. It’s symptomatic of larger issues and causes. Their feelings of security rest with how we interpret, understand and communicate our beliefs to them.
How we help our youths understand the importance of this gun reform legislation will influence how they value it. It’s essential to let them know that the deaths of 19 children — their peers — and two adults in Texas were instrumental in getting gun reform legislation passed. The fact that Congress achieved bipartisan support for this kind of reform, something not seen in decades, is more than noteworthy. It should demonstrate to our youths that collectively we want this nation to be a better place for them.
Let’s use it as a teachable moment to inspire and uplift our youths. Their lives are filled with so much information from social media platforms that is often negative. Fortunately, this legislation is positive in nature and sends the message that their lives matter to all of us. Representatives from all over the country came together to protect their futures.
The legislation’s overarching goals and objectives are more than clear and can be readily explained to our youths. Simply put, the legislation aims to save lives. It shows how our country can come together for the better good when we work together.
We often talk to our youths about finding common ground. Unfortunately, in far too many cases, we don’t practice this. Our politics seem to give only lip service to this principle, while emphasizing differences and perpetuating divisiveness. Seeking to find dissimilarities only results in finding them. And then we are still left to answer the question: What do we do now?
Perhaps this gun reform legislation is a watershed moment, a change from years past, and a time in history that we will fondly remember. American innovator Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is a success.”
This was a success that our youths can certainly be proud of. They need us to continue to work together, find areas of agreement and not use words to denigrate one another. We all benefit from this approach.
So, if our youths ask about this historic piece of legislation, take the time to let them know that it was written for them because they matter beyond words.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jerald McNair is a school administrator at South Holland Illinois School District 151 in Illinois.
