The 12-month period starting Feb. 14, 2018, saw nearly 1,200 young lives snuffed out by firearms, reported McClatchy Newspapers. That’s a Parkland every five days, enough victims to fill
three ultra-wide Boeing 777s. The true number is certainly higher because no
government agency keeps a real-time tally and funding for research is
restricted by law.
The
Trace, an online nonprofit news organization that covers firearms issues,
wanted to commemorate those lost lives. It assembled a team of more than 200
journalists — kids themselves — to research and write short portraits of every
victim, 18 and under.
On the anniversary of the Parkland massacre, The Trace is
publishing those
portraits. In conjunction, the Miami Herald and McClatchy are presenting a
series of stories on the year in gun violence against children.
When they weren’t taking cover from school shooters, young
Americans died as a result of murder-suicides, jealous rages, indiscriminate
drive-bys, targeted attacks and horrific preventable accidents.
Several died in explosive video game disputes. One young man
was killed when, according to a witness, a loose gun inside a box he was
hauling discharged. A 10-year-old girl was gunned down while scampering toward
an ice cream truck. A father shot his 6-year-old girl by accident while
cleaning his gun.
Older teens were more commonly victims, followed by small
children, ages 2 and 3. Cities were deadlier than rural areas.
Although the data collected didn’t include race and
ethnicity, it is clear that most victims were minorities in communities awash
in firearms.
“This is America. Anyone who wants a gun will be able to
obtain one and at competitive prices,” said Thomas Hargrove, founder of the
Murder Accountability Project, whose searchable website murderdata.org features homicide data
and analytic tools. “That’s simply the truth.”
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