According to the Brady Campaign, every day 46 children and teens are victims of gun violence. It's an American epidemic.
Every day, seven children and teens die -- four are murdered; three die from suicide. Forty children and teens are shot, but survive.
31 are injured in an attack
1 survives a suicide attempt
8 are shot unintentionally
These are our children, whom we all claim to love, cherish and want to protect at all costs. Except if the cost means some sort of reasonable restriction, like keeping guns out of the hands of people with a history of mental illness or tightening up background checks or banning military-style weapons like the AR-15.
If that's the cost, it's too high.
My 16-year-old granddaughter, Karleigh Campman, did the pencil sketch above. She's passionate about this issue and she's concerned about her future and that of her brother and sister and friends. I asked her what the pacifier in the illustration meant to her.
"The gun," she said, "is like a pacifier to a lot of people. It makes them feel secure, just like the pacifier does for a baby."
And then, she said, "It could have another meaning, too. A lot of kids are shot and killed by other kids accidentally. The pacifier could indicate that, too. People, if they are going to have a gun, need to keep it locked up and away from their kids."
I think Karleigh's sketch contains a powerful message, and I thought I would share it with you.
If you are concerned about the fact that every day 318 people in America are shot and that 96 people die from gun violence each day, then you need to let the people who make the laws know of your concern.
It doesn't mean doing away with the Second Amendment. It doesn't mean that the feds are going to try to confiscate peoples' guns. It simply means that sensible gun laws and protections are needed to help end this epidemic that plagues our nation.
Thank you, Karleigh, for sharing this with Not Fake News.