36.1 A REVIEW OF THE CULTURAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY OF YOUTH GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

Abstract

This presentation will explore the cultural and political background of youth gun violence in the United States through a variety of lenses, including race, socioeconomic background, geographic location, and mental health. A review of both scientific literature and news media on the historical and cultural associations of gun violence in the United States will be conducted. Current and past federal and state policies related to firearms will be reviewed. Case examples will be presented. From the Civil War to today, it is difficult to tell the story of the United States without discussing the role of guns and gun violence. American youth are not exempt from this history. Gun violence comes in many forms—mass shootings, community violence, intimate partner violence, encounters with law enforcement, suicide—and American youth have a role in all of them. Those roles have changed over time, and their acceptance in the forum of public opinion have been affected by race, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and the confirmed or perceived presence of mental illness. Federal and state policies related to firearms have been affected by all of these as well, leading to clear relationships between youth gun violence and amounts of youth gun violence. The history of firearms in the United States and how firearms have been ingrained into the country’s social and political structure both directly and indirectly contribute to the high rates of youth gun violence seen today. Mental health plays an important role as well, but what that role is differs greatly when comparing the scientific literature to popular culture and public opinion.