Deanna Behrens, MD, FAAP

Earlier this month, four people were shot to death on a train in Chicago. Two days later, four people were shot to death at a school in Georgia. No one is safe. It can happen when people are at their most vulnerable: The victims in Chicago were shot as they slept. They can be shot where they are supposed to be safe: The victims in Georgia were shot at school.

In remarks in June, the United States surgeon general declared firearm violence a public health crisis. It is the leading cause of death in children in our country. I am not just devastated by the loss of life this month: I am angry that we continue to permit this. Have we done all that we can? I hear this plea repeatedly as a pediatrician when a child is sick or dying. When we hear calls for thoughts and prayers, they are sincere and heartfelt. The country is in agony. But they are not enough; they will never be enough.

For every child who dies from a bullet, there are at least four others who are injured. Those children might never walk, talk, eat or even breathe on their own again. If they manage to survive, they might suffer from mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Even children who are not injured directly by guns feel the effect of it. This violence is so pervasive that our children grow up surrounded by trauma and pain, drowning in toxic stress caused by the sounds of gunshots and the thoughts of active shooter drills. This constant exposure to violence can literally change the brain chemistry of children and can expose them to lifelong risks of mental health problems, addiction, obesity and heart problems.

Voting is a small act that can make an enormous difference. As a physician, I help my patients and their families register to vote. As a citizen, I am serving as an election judge. It is my responsibility to keep children safe and to advocate for them, and that includes utilizing the power of the vote. The intersection between health and voting is strong.

When you cast your ballot for the 2024 election, please consider how your vote directly affects children. We must elect leaders at all levels of government who prioritize children’s health and pass policies that will allow every child to reach their full potential. The 14-year-old shooter in Georgia is reported to have used an AR platform styled assault weapon. The United States had an assault weapons ban from 1994-2004, and during that time, deaths from mass shootings decreased by 70%. Legislators have the power to pass a federal assault weapons ban again, and research shows that 60-70% of Americans favor this.

About 76% of youth school shooters get their firearms from home, thus secure storage is vital to preventing school shootings. And secure storage, where firearms are locked and ammunition is locked and stored separately, also reduces accidental shootings and deaths from suicide. Strong laws on the state level help save lives. I live in a state that has some of the strongest firearm injury prevention laws in the country, but it is not enough. Illinois is surrounded by other states that have weak laws, and death and violence bleed across state lines.

We need legislators who will enact strong laws on all levels: local, state and federal laws.

Most gun owners are responsible, reasonable citizens who want to keep their children safe. Most Americans support common-sense laws related to gun violence prevention, including safe storage and limitations in assault weapons. Why don’t more elected officials?

Until we vote for legislators who will vote for kids, children will continue to suffer. Every three days, guns kill enough kids to fill an entire school bus. Children cannot vote, but their parents, their loved ones and their communities can. I can and will vote for them and work with any candidate from any party who will fight for children. After the unbearable tragedy at Uvalde, Texas, in June 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law. This extraordinary law was the first piece of federal legislation on firearms in two decades, and it proves that legislators can come together to prioritize the needs of all citizens.

Together with our elected officials, we will not let firearm violence rob our kids of their childhood and their futures, of their mental health, of their neighbors and their families. Please join me in voting for kids.

Deanna Behrens, MD, FAAP, is chair of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Firearms Violence Prevention Committee.