In an exclusive interview, PBS NewsHour just reported on our first-of-its-kind study analyzing youth attitudes towards gun violence.

friend, 

Most young Americans feel unsafe and support stricter gun laws, new survey shows. – PBS NewsHour

In an exclusive interview, PBS NewsHour just reported on our first-of-its-kind study analyzing youth attitudes towards gun violence. This new research from the SPLC, American University’s PERIL lab, and Everytown for Gun Safety reveals a heightening gun violence crisis threatening children’s physical and mental well-being.

Some of the most striking findings include:

• Youth know, on average, at least one person who has been injured or killed by a gun.
• 4 out of 5 young people agree that gun violence is a problem.
• 42% of survey respondents report having at least somewhat easy access to guns.
• School safety is a major concern for youth and worry about school shootings is associated with a host of negative mental health outcomes.

Our research was conducted in response to the United States’ disproportionate share of violent deaths by terrorism and extremism. We found that youth who see gun culture as part of their identity were associated with more extreme worldviews like male supremacist ideation and racial resentment.

Studying the links between hate and extremist ideology and gun attitudes, especially among youth who may be at risk of radicalization, is a key part of violence prevention. Your support for the SPLC helps fund groundbreaking research like this report — will you make a special gift today to help us continue our work researching and combating hate and extremist violence?

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Evidence from this study suggests that pro-gun attitudes were associated with male supremacist and racial resentment attitudes, so determining which narratives are most persuasive among youth is a necessary first step to developing effective prevention strategies for countering anti-democratic, pro-extremist ideologies, as well as potentially reducing gun violence and gun deaths.

This work is an important opportunity to help educate and equip communities to better support youth as they navigate manipulative narratives, particularly online, and to continue building resilience against hate and extremist rhetoric. Young people broadly believe that gun violence is a problem in the United States, so we are hopeful that continued advocacy can reduce gun violence, white nationalist terrorism and extremism.

Thank you for being a supporter of the SPLC. And, please, if you are able, make a contribution today to ensure the fight against hate continues.

Sincerely,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

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