More than 2,526 American children died by firearms in 2022—an average of seven deaths every day, according to a report by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. At Fordham Law, the staff at the Center on Race, Law and Justice (CRLJ) has launched a new toolkit, which they hope will educate and inspire activists who are working to reduce gun-related violence.
The toolkit, which was released in late January, was created in partnership with the Peer Defense Project (PDP), a youth-led New York City based organization. Called “Youth Power, Not Guns,” it is designed to inform, inspire, and engage young activists by giving them the legal information they need to understand their constitutional rights. It also presents key issues surrounding gun laws in a way that is accessible for teens.
“The toolkit aims to empower communities by providing language and understanding of the legal landscape that regulates guns, enabling young people to advocate for safety in their schools and communities,” said Zenande Booi, CRLJ executive director.
The 145-page toolkit is written at an eighth-grade reading level and focuses on three themes—the U.S. Constitution and individual rights; data on the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S., specifically in schools, and an analysis of gun regulations at federal and state levels; and profiles of youth activists and survivors of gun violence.
According to Booi, many young activists typically lack in-depth legal knowledge that can positively inform their work. While the toolkit does not provide legal advice, it serves as a handbook to help young activists understand their rights, federal and state laws pertaining to guns, and the ways in which young gun safety movement leaders have been effective at standing up to make a change towards a safer world.
The toolkit profiles include activist Zoe Touray, gun violence survivor and founder of Survivors Embracing Each Other, and her work creating events and spaces to help other young people who have experienced gun violence to heal, and Edna Chavez, a youth activist who spoke at March for Our Lives and organized “Know Your Rights” workshops to motivate students to work toward change.
“The intentions of the guide itself were investigating why our Constitution doesn’t protect young people from gun violence in the way that it protects guns from any kind of limitations,” said Maryam Salmanova, PDP founding co-executive.
The authors hope to visit schools to bring more awareness of the toolkit. They intend to “create a more collaborative space,” according to Booi, “and to empower young people to continue doing really important work.”