CEED’s Statement on America’s Gun Violence Pandemic Following the Uvalde Shooting

It has been another week of tragedy and heartbreak as we collectively seek to process the violence and loss of innocent young life that took place on the 24th of May in Uvalde, Texas. CEED extends its deepest condolences to the families in the Uvalde community grieving this most unbearable loss. No parent should have to know the pain of losing their child to gun violence, nor should any child or educator fear for their safety when they enter their school.

Across this country and the world, schools form the very heart of community life. They are sanctuaries of joy, growth, friendship, and support. Each time a school or other place of community gathering is weaponized as a means to inflict mass violence and terror, we see the very fabric of American public life start to come apart at the seams. The sanctity of these places must be protected. 

The horrific violence in Uvalde of course came as the nation was still reeling with grief, fear, and anger following the racially motivated terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York. The occurrence of these two events in such rapid succession, both of which were perpetrated by young men with easy access to guns, has brought renewed widespread attention to several lethal afflictions deeply ingrained in the American psyche and systems of power, including racism, misogyny, patriarchy, and glorification of violence.

CEED continues to fight against these ever present dangers to our society and the effects they have on our children through our sustained efforts to research and advocate for the large scale implementation of anti-bias early childhood education and care systems. Following the Buffalo attack, we shared some resources and suggestions for having difficult conversations with children regarding violence and race-based trauma. Those resources can be found here.

In the immediate term, however, we are also calling for urgent action on federal gun legislation. As we continue the fight to dismantle the systems of oppression that underpin the kinds of violent attacks we see all too often in this country, we must simultaneously do all we can to prevent the loss of any more innocent lives in the meantime. A drastic reduction of access to firearms will save lives. It will protect the innocence of so many children by preventing them from having to endure the trauma of seeing members of their communities killed. It will help maintain the sanctity of schools as as places of community care by removing the fear of the possibility of impending violence.​ It will offer the bare minimum degree of safety we need in our day-to-day lives to continue directing our energy toward the fight for a more just society in which our children can grow, learn, and experience joy in peace.

No one should fear being killed on a quick trip to the grocery store. No one should fear being killed at their place of worship. No child or teacher should fear being killed in the safety of their classroom. We are dangerously close to normalizing these fears in this country. We cannot afford the loss of life, the grief, and the collective trauma that will continue to come with such a normalization. We must continue to let our rage and sadness surface, and we must use it to amplify our voices in demanding action to reduce gun violence in our communities. Gun control legislation is a critical first step. 

We encourage everyone to vote in representatives, both locally and on the federal level, who have demonstrated preparedness to fight for gun control legislation. We encourage you to continue to write, call, or tweet your current representatives, making your opinions on the matter known. 

We also encourage everyone to take the time and space you need to mourn and process the pain of the past few weeks. Protecting your mental health and making space for peace and joy with your loved ones and your children is as important as ever during moments like this.

For additional perspective and resources as we continue to process the tragedies of the past few weeks, we direct you to the insightful statements by our colleagues at the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research in Child Development.