Gun violence claimed more children’s lives last week with the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. As we noted in our statement after the tragic shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, last year, “firearm violence is now the leading cause of deaths among children and adolescents. This matters, and unless every child has an opportunity to flourish in a country that recognizes that we are all part of the same community, we will never reach our full potential as a nation.”

As a national organization whose mission is to advance policies, best practices and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for children, youth and families that are vulnerable, CWLA joins with other advocacy partners in calling on Congress to address gun violence; see the sign-on letter from the AAP below for one way to join us in this effort.

Other resources about school shootings and trauma are available for parents, professionals, and children, such as:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is again leading a sign-on letter for increased funding for gun violence prevention research, a timely letter in the wake of the recent school shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. The letter requests $35 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), $25 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and $1 million for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention.

From the letter: “Across this country, communities are suffering from preventable firearm-related injuries and deaths. Suicide, violent crime, and accidental shootings cause trauma to families, communities, and children affected by these preventable tragedies… We need a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to reducing firearm-related suicides, violent crime, and accidental shootings.”

National, state and local organizations are encouraged to sign on by April 12, 2023.