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1st
appeared 22 April 1999
Youth Violence Expert Points Aim at Guns
The tragedy in Littleton, Colorado has sparked calls to make schools safer, but a UCSF
expert on youth violence says the prime targets should be guns and the growing "gun
culture."
 "I'm baffled that we're baffled by
this horrific incident," said Howard Pinderhughes, a researcher in the School of
Nursing's department of social and behavioral sciences. "It's no coincidence that
these tragedies occur in areas that support knowledge, usage and availability of
guns."
In Colorado and other states, for example, it is legal for young people to possess certain
types of weapons, he said. "You have a group of kids who are ostracized, and during a
delicate and volatile period of their lives, they have embraced a marginalized
culture," he said. "Mix that with the gun culture, and you indeed have a loaded
situation. We first need to limit access to guns."
An expert in youth, racial and ethnic violence, Pinderhughes for the last three years has
studied 15- to 18-year-olds in San Francisco's Mission District, delving into their
personal experiences. His study is examining how young people make decisions about the use
of violence and how to help teens choose nonviolence.
Striking to him is the normalcy of guns and violence. Of 150 youth he has interviewed over
the three years, 4% said they owned a gun, but 31% had possessed a gun at one time and 72%
said they could get a gun within four hours if they needed one. Every teen he has talked
to -- even those who go out of their way to avoid violence -- believes that violence is
necessary to protect themselves and can occur at any time. Although he has focused on
inner city youth, these attitudes are widely held among youth everywhere, he said.
Those who are now urging beefed-up school safety, said Pinderhughes, should concentrate
their energies on gun control and other violence prevention efforts. What happened Tuesday
in Colorado was tragic, but still an aberration, he said.
His studies are finding that schools actually are the safest havens for kids. Rather than
more metal detectors and security guards in schools, resources should go to help
communities recognize and aid problem children early.
Links:
Getting to the Roots of Teen and
Gang Violence
Source: Andy Evangelista
Photos: David Powers |
