Over the past few years, multiple studies have found that many young people carry guns because they’re scared of being shot themselves — and according to a recent report from the Council on Criminal Justice, that fear appears to be getting worse. Between 2019 and 2022, CCJ found, youth crimes involving firearms increased by 24 percent. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the desire for protection isn’t entirely unfounded: In 2021, gun deaths among children under 18 hit a record high. The numbers were slightly lower in 2022 and 2023, but still more than double the death toll of 2013.

Young people I’ve spoken to in Chicago have said that, in many ways, the data reflects their lived experiences. This summer, 18-year-old Jayden Wright told me that throughout high school, several classmates were shot. Ladanna Wimberly, 16, said that many teens have a distorted sense of reality: “They see a fight and somebody pulls out a gun,” she said. “Now they think they need to have a gun to protect themselves.”

Recently, violence prevention worker Maurice Williams told me that guns have become normalized among young Chicagoans — and they’re getting introduced to them earlier in their lives. The situation is totally different from his youth, he said: “Back then we probably had one gun amongst all of us. Now, it’s a part of their attire.”

I spoke with Williams for my latest story, about how Chicago’s shootings have become deadlier over the past 13 years. Though it’s not primarily about young people, several of my sources mentioned youth gun carrying habits as a contributing factor. About a dozen violence prevention workers and residents said access to deadlier firearms, along with the ability to modify weapons using devices like auto sears, has created more dangerous situations — especially with more young people carrying as a means of protection. (Just this week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to establish a taskforce that will assess the threat of emerging gun technology like conversion devices and 3D-printed guns. Its report will include a plan for combating these growing threats.)

I also talked with Edwin Galletti, vice president of violence intervention and prevention services at UCAN Chicago, a social service agency that helps at-risk kids and families. During our conversation, he wondered about the root causes of the trend. To me, it seemed like his questions could apply not only to the broader problem of deadlier shootings, but also to that of increased gun carrying among young people.

“Why is it easier to get access to a gun than it is to healthcare?” he asked. “Why is it easier to get a weapon and modify it than it is for me to get a job? Why is it easier for me to be able to get a weapon than to complete my high school diploma?”

— Rita Oceguera, Chicago reporter 

From The Trace

What to Know This Week

Murder fell an estimated 11.6 percent in 2023, according to FBI data published this week — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. The statistics also show that overall violent crime dropped about 3 percent compared to 2022. The release of the data, just ahead of November’s high-stakes presidential election, was almost entirely ignored by right-wing media outlets. [Associated Press/Jeff Asher/CNN] 

It’s been more than two months since a young shooter opened fire at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in an attempt to kill former President Donald Trump. Numerous questions about the shooting remain open. Perhaps the most pressing: What led to the Secret Service’s worst security failure in decades? A new investigation, “Anatomy of an Assassination,” does its best to answer. [Associated Press] 

A federal bankruptcy judge ruled that assets from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s media company, Free Speech Systems, can be auctioned off to help pay the nearly $1.5 billion in damages he owes to the families of Sandy Hook victims for spreading lies about the 2012 school shooting. The assets up for grabs include everything from the intellectual property of his show Infowars and its vitamin web store to production equipment and domain names. [NPR]

Michael Bell Sr. has alleged that police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, covered up the circumstances under which officers shot and killed his son, Michael Jr., in 2004. Bell has sued the city, the police department, and four officers — no one in the department has admitted wrongdoing — and in 2022 he filed a claim with the state Crime Victims Rights Board. The outcome of that claim troubled some victims rights advocates: The board ruled that, if there was a cover-up, the victim wasn’t Bell, but the state of Wisconsin. [The Marshall Project] 

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several firearm restrictions into law on Tuesday. Among the new regulations: a measure allowing courts to consider hate-based violence, stalking, and animal cruelty as evidence for a gun violence restraining order, and legislation banning fake gunfire and fake blood during school shooting drills. [Associated Press/Capital Public Radio]  

In the three weeks since the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, more than 700 children and teenagers have been arrested for making violent threats against schools in at least 45 states. Many of those arrested were 12 or younger. [The New York Times] 

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In Memoriam

Alaysia Smith, 13, was tall for an eighth-grader: Neighbors and family members in her North Philly community had watched her grow from a toddler playing hopscotch in the street to an almost 5-foot-10 cheerleader. Alaysia, known as “Lay Lay” by loved ones, was shot and killed near her home last Wednesday. She was a calm and quiet kid, at least until you got to know her. Her grandfather told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Alaysia was vibrant and bubbly once she felt comfortable — though she didn’t ever mind bringing out her fierce attitude, he said. She liked getting her nails done with her friends and making TikTok dances with her brother. “She had a heart of gold,” Alaysia’s mom said at a vigil. “She was a sweetheart.”

We Recommend

First Response: A three-part podcast about what it’s like to be a surgeon, nurse, or paramedic working during the gun violence crisis — and what medical professionals in Washington state are doing to help. Part One documents what it’s like to treat gunshot wounds. [Northwest Reports]

Pull Quote

“Victims don’t get a veto. They can’t force an investigation.”

— Mariam El-menshawi, a professor at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law who specializes in victims’ rights, on how laws grant crime victims access to the criminal process but not control over prosecutorial decisions, to The Marshall Project

This newsletter was compiled by senior editor Sunny Sone.

Rita Oceguera
Before joining The Trace, Rita worked as a reporter for Injustice Watch, covering the criminal legal system and immigrant communities as a Report for America corps member. As an undergraduate, Rita studied anthropology and journalism at Northwestern University. She earned an M.S. with a concentration in social justice and investigative reporting at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.