If you listened to any of the just-ended Utah legislative session, you probably heard the phrase, “We must protect the children …,” from many legislators on both sides of the aisle. We need to remind our legislators that a child never died from reading a book or losing a race; seeing a naked body never killed a child; entertainment from someone in heavy makeup and flashy clothes is not fatal to children; seeing a same-sex couple kissing is not a child’s death sentence.
Gun violence is what kills and injures children. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, and guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Utah. In Utah, an average of 41 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 70% of these deaths are suicides and 27% are homicides. Suicides are the leading cause of death for Utah teens aged 15-19. Last January, five young children were shot to death by their father in Enoch. That same month, two teens were shot and killed in Taylorsville. Not long after, a 17-year-old was shot and killed in West Valley, allegedly by a 14-year-old. In 2022, along with several other children’s deaths, a 5-year-old in Smithfield died playing with a handgun he found at home, and a 7-year-old died from a stray bullet fired in a neighboring apartment in Heber. I personally have three friends who have lost children to suicide by gun.
Please, if you are a gun owner, be sure to secure it safely and remind other gun owners to do the same. If you or someone you know is a suicide risk, please get treatment from a health provider or call the Suicide and Crisis Hot Line at 988 or go to www.988lifeline.org. If we are to “protect the children,” somehow we must protect them from this gun violence crisis.
Nicola Nelson, North Salt Lake
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