Helping teenagers talk about guns and gun violence.

I recently had the opportunity to listen to teenagers talk about guns and gun violence when they attended a summer church camp. Two separate groups; one entering grade 7, 8, and 9 and one entering grade 10, 11, and 12 were asked to share their understandings, feelings, and opinions about guns in a small group setting. Relevant books, articles, and other media were reviewed as part of my preparation for this time. Ground rules were established prior to the conversations, including safety and confidentiality concerns. Each group was asked essentially the same two sets of questions, one related to their school life and one related to their home life. The shared stories generally confirmed the range of understandings, feelings, and opinions anticipated, and provided anecdotal evidence that teenagers today are faced with guns and gun violence as part of their daily lived realities, regardless of their individual, specific demographics. Only limited suggestions were offered to help teenagers cope with their realities. More importantly, this exercise gave the teenagers permission to voice their own thoughts and can serve as a model for future conversations among teenagers.