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Guns & Violence
Facts
Preventing Violence
Violent Behavior, Risk Factors and Warning Signs
Help for troubled teens
Helping a Friend
in Crisis
What to do about a Threat
Additional pages:
School Violence Timeline
Dealing With Bullies
Facts
It's
illegal for anyone under 21 to buy a handgun.
It's illegal for anyone under 18 to buy
a shotgun or rifle.
According to the Department of Education,
over 6,000 students were expelled in 1995-1996 for bringing guns
to their public schools.
Gun violence is something that needs to be taken seriously
by everyone, because no matter where you live, no matter what race
you are, no matter how wealthy you are, and no matter how old you
are, gun violence can occur anywhere at anytime. We are not trying
to scare you. We just want you to be aware. Be observant of the
way your friends act. If you notice warning signs, tell an adult.
Don't assume the problem will work itself out. It might not.
There are few chances a person has to save a life. If you are presented
with a chance, don't wait until it's too late, because if
you do, a precious life can be lost.
School and youth violence is a serious, very possible
threat to any school including yours. For a sobering experience,
read through our School Violence
Timeline, which lists and briefly describes trajic events that
occurred in the US over the last decade.
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- Previous aggressive or violent behavior
- Victimized by physical and/or sexual abuse
- Exposure to violence in the home and/or
community
- Genetic factors
- Exposure to violence in the media
- Drugs or alcohol abuse
- Presence of firearms in the home
- Combination of stressful
family factors (poverty, severe deprivation, marital breakup,
single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended
family)
- Brain damage from head injury
Warning signs of violent behavior in youth
- Intense anger
- Frequent loss of temper or blowups
- Extreme irritability
- Extreme impulsiveness
- Easily frustrated
Help for
Troubled Teens
Many people can feel desperately alone at times. Despair caused
by a break up with a girlfriend, a parental separation, the death
of a close family member or friend, a drug addiction, or emotional
abuse from classmates can be too much to bear. The best way to deal
with issues such as these is to talk to someone about it. Talk to
your parents, your friends, your local religious leader, your athletic
coach, your teacher or your principle. Nobody is going to punish
you for telling the truth or for expressing how you feel. If you
cannot find an adult to talk to, please do yourself a favor and
call a crisis hotline.
Crisis & Grief Counseling
Boys Town National Hotline
Crisis counseling for girls and boys and referral to local help
www.ffbh.boystown.org
1-800-448-3000
The National "YOUTH" Crisis
Help line
1-800-999-9999
Helping
a Friend in Crisis
If you know someone whose going through a tough time, try hard to
talk to them about it. Even if you think they want to be left alone,
you should express to them that you care and want to help. In addition
to offering your own help, encourage them to seek help from an adult
or at least from a crisis center. (Crisis center numbers are listed
above.) If they don't accept your help, you should contact an
adult that might have more of an effect. It's better to temporarily
annoy your friend, than to do nothing until it's too late. Bringing
their problem to someone else's attention could stop them from
endangering themselves or others.
What to
do about a Threat
In shootings that involve a pair of students, neither would probably
have the self-motivation to carry out such a violent act without
the support of the other. Usually there is one who is more the leader,
and one who is more the follower. For this reason, violent acts
are often discussed before they occur. As soon as you hear conversations
that include threats, violent plans, the death of certain teachers
or classmates, or talk of weapons or bringing weapons to school,
whether they're pipe bombs, guns, knives, etc., immediately
inform your principal or a teacher. These are not light-hearted
issues. With the tragedies that have occurred in the world today,
these subjects require our utmost attention and action.
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