How to have conversations about preventing youth gun injuries in your community
Gun injuries shouldn't be the leading cause of death for children and teens. Whether you are a parent, caregiver, aunt, uncle, teacher, coach, or another concerned adult, we can all agree that it's important to help protect kids from gun violence. It often starts with a conversation.
Learn about gun violence in your community and nationwide
To have informed conversations about the impact of gun violence in your community on children and teens, familiarize yourself with the latest stats and research. Learn the gun laws in your state, and pay attention to local news stories about gun violence affecting youth.
Homicides account for the majority of gun-related deaths, specifically interpersonal violence and domestic violence. However, mass shootings often get more media attention than other forms of gun violence. This can skew public perceptions of the types of gun violence that most affect children and teens, and importantly, how they can help prevent it.
In fact, many gun injuries and deaths involving young people are the result of access to unsecured guns in the home. These include unintentional shootings—when a gun is discharged by someone, often a child, who didn’t mean to do so; gun suicides; and intentional shootings such as interpersonal or community gun violence. Approximately 75% of youth unintentional shootings and gun suicides involve a gun that was kept loaded and unlocked.
Survivors of youth gun violence may approach conversations around prevention differently from people who have not experienced it. By learning about how gun violence affects our communities, we can understand how to reduce the impact of gun violence on children and teens.
For more details, explore trusted resources, including Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence Solution’s report on how gun violence affects children and teens and the Ad Council’s own research on Americans’ beliefs about gun violence. Visit our tools and resources page for more helpful links.
Start a conversation
It may feel uncomfortable raising the topic of gun violence in your community with a friend, family member, or anyone else for the first time. But research shows that people agree that these conversations can make a difference. When you start a conversation about gun violence prevention, you’re starting an important conversation that people want to have.
82% of Americans agree that having more productive conversations can help reduce gun injury and deaths among children and teens.
Source: Ad Council-Bully Pulpit International Survey, 2024
Be open and honest
Start the conversation by talking about why preventing gun violence in your community matters to you. Maybe you are a survivor or maybe you know someone who has been exposed to violence, or maybe you are concerned about keeping the kids in your life safe.
To encourage others to share their experiences, ask open-ended questions and listen to their responses.
Opening up about your feelings and experiences and encouraging others to do the same builds connections.
“Have you heard the statistic that gun injuries are the #1 cause of death for children and teens? What do you think we as a community can do to change that?”
“Most unintentional shootings happen because a child had access to an unlocked gun at home. What do you think would encourage more people to secure their guns?”
“How can we get more people talking about gun violence and how to prevent it?”
Find common ground
When you mention gun violence prevention, some people may feel the topic is too controversial to talk about. Instead, think of it as a way to find common ground on a topic that matters. Americans agree on more than we think when it comes to preventing gun violence. For example, here are some statements that we can all generally agree with:
Focusing on what you have in common will help you both feel more at ease so you can really listen to and understand each other.
“Every kid deserves a childhood free of gun violence.”
“It bothers me that gun injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens.”
“As adults, we have a responsibility to keep kids safe. Talking about gun violence is part of that.”
After the chat
- If others ask questions you aren’t sure how to answer, let them know you will try to find answers and get back to them. Check our resources page to learn more.
- Continue to educate yourself and others. Check reliable sources to learn the facts on gun violence in your community.
- Connect with local organizations working to prevent gun violence and support those affected, and learn how you can collaborate with them.
- Know the local gun laws.
- Learn about strategies that help to reduce gun violence, including secure gun storage and taking action if you recognize if someone is in crisis.
Tips for having productive conversations
- Remember that everyone’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences matter. No matter how someone feels about gun ownership or secure gun storage, it’s important to listen to their perspective.
- Avoid letting the conversation turn political. Keep the focus on community safety and protecting children and teens from gun violence.
- Stay calm. Emotions can escalate the conversation and make it harder for you to understand each other.
- Respect other peoples’ boundaries. If someone wants to end the conversation, let them, but keep the lines of communication open. You can say, “If you ever want to talk more about this, I’ll be here.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to be connected with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.