Guest Editorial by Julvonnia McDowell

A Mother’s Plea: The Urgent Need for Conversationsabout Gun Violence

When I bought my 14-year-old son a crisp, navy suit with a yellow bowtie for his upcoming spring formal, I never imagined that I’d have to bury him in it just days later.

My radiant, joyful boy went over to a family member’s house, where he and his cousin found an unsecured gun in a drawer, hidden beneath a T-shirt. They started playing with it, not realizing it was loaded. Minutes later, JaJuan was gone.

The phone call we received that afternoon was every parent’s worst nightmare. And it was entirely preventable.

My husband and I had always been protective of JaJuan. We’d taught him as a child to look both ways before crossing the street and not to accept rides from strangers. And we’d always ask other parents the usual questions—about screen time, video games, and curfews—before letting JaJuan go to a friend’s house.

But we never asked: “Is there a gun in the house? If so, is it stored securely?” It never occurred to us that the thing that posed the greatest risk to JaJuan’s life would be a firearm. But gun injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.