Your high school statistics class takes a break outside. Everyone walks a few blocks off campus, soaking up the fresh air. Suddenly, you hear a bang. Everyone sprints. In the chaos, you see your classmate clutching his face, covered in blood.
That afternoon in Belmont-Cragin was two years ago, and it wasn’t my first experience with gun violence — but it was the experience that triggered me into advocacy.
Growing up, my friends and I were taught to stay aware of our surroundings. Our families avoided late-night outings. Curfew was mandatory. As the oldest in a first-generation immigrant family, I also did my best to keep my younger brother safe. Yet heightened vigilance only goes so far, and young people across the country cite gun violence as a top concern.
Gun homicide rates are twice as high for Latino youth compared to their white peers. Our worries are understandable: Among Chicagoans who witnessed a shooting by age 40, the average age of a Black or Latino shooting witness is 14. Many of us see gun violence before we get our driver’s license or graduate from high school. I’m part of that statistic.
Ask enough teens in this city, and you’ll find that many of us have seen gun violence or know people who’ve been in the crosshairs of a shooting. Since 2010, over half of the city’s mass shootings have taken the life of someone under 20. It’s no wonder why we factor campus gun violence risk into our college decisions. We’re tired, frustrated, and scared. Even now, two years later and at a college over 600 miles away, I still hear the echoes of that drive-by shooting.
After my experience, I understood why many young people consider gun ownership. Many people, including the majority of teens, believe owning a gun will protect them. But the evidence from over half of the city’s mass shootings is clear: More guns lead to more gun violence. In Illinois, soaring firearm sales during the pandemic coincided with twice as many children killed or injured by guns and a spike in citywide domestic homicides.
These tragedies aren’t limited to Chicago. Nationwide, suicide rates are four times higher for kids living in gun-owning homes, and children are statistically more likely to die from a gun than from a car crash.
Gun violence needs generational change
Still, adults are unlikely to change their coffee order, let alone their views on a topic like guns. That’s why ending gun violence requires generational change.
About a year after the shooting, I joined the youth council at Project Unloaded, a teen-powered nonprofit dedicated to changing gun culture, rather than gun laws. We’re reaching teens with the facts on why guns make them less safe, through data-driven social media campaigns. We’re also building local partnerships, teaching teens how to channel their digital savvy into inspiring change where they live. Gen Z wants to drive cultural change, and that starts with spreading the message that guns are the problem — not the solution.
Our latest social media campaign, Guns Change the Story, relies on MadLib-style storytelling to challenge teens to consider how everyday moments could change if a gun were present. There’s good reason to believe this approach can work. In research that informed the campaign, teens in communities deeply impacted by gun violence initially expressed interest in owning a gun. Learning about gun risks led 18% to change their minds.
Some folks might say that a more effective approach would be to focus on gun laws. But these approaches go hand-in-hand. I’m hopeful our lawmakers will exhaust all options to reduce gun use and keep people safe. But I also know that Illinois isn’t an island, and it’s unlikely that the flow of guns will stop anytime soon from Indiana, Missouri and other states that seem determined to put gun industry profits ahead of safety. Guns will remain available. But we can choose not to own or use them.
Seeing gun violence first-hand compelled me to become more vocal about how a gun can change someone’s story. It forced me to confront our society’s myths about guns. It pushed me to share these facts and connect with young leaders committed to making a difference. And it makes me hopeful that our generation, Gen Z, can lead the way to changing gun culture.
Edgar Vilchez is a Youth Council member at Project Unloaded. He is completing his first year at Cornell University and grew up in Belmont-Cragin.
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