Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence Statement on Tragic Teen Gun Death in Syracuse
Tragic Syracuse Gun Death Highlights Why Schools Must Help Educate Parents on Secure Firearm Practices
SYRACUSE – Abbey Clements, survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook School tragedy, executive director and co-founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence, released the following statement after a teenage boy in Syracuse was declared dead after being accidentally shot by his friend in a home:
“My heart breaks for family and friends and the entire Syracuse community who are mourning this tragic death. I’m especially saddened to think that when school starts next fall, there will be one less desk in the classroom. This tragedy highlights how important it is that schools play a more direct role in educating parents about how to properly secure their firearms at home. Too often, schools are missing in action in this fight. Schools often share nonpartisan public health information about everything from car seat and seatbelt safety to nutrition and teen driving. It’s long past time they do the same about the number one killer of children in the United States: guns.
“Nothing will bring back this young child, but I hope when this community comes together, they can channel their outrage into action and ask their school leaders to become part of the solution and educate parents on safe storage of firearms, like so many communities around the country are already doing.”
Background: According to a study by the Secret Service, around two-thirds of school shootings take place because a firearm was not properly secured in the home. Gun violence is a costly – and preventable – public health challenge that is far too common in our schools:
Guns are the leading cause of death for children in America.
A new study this year found more than 21 percent of gun-owning households with children reported having at least one firearm stored while it was loaded and unlocked.
More than 398,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine.
There have been more than 435 school shootings since 1999.
As many as 66% of school shootings resulted from a gun that was not secured properly in the home.
Eighteen to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at over triple the rate of adults 21 years and older.
1 out of 10 gun deaths are age 19 or younger.
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Abbey Clements is the executive director and a Co-Founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence. She is a survivor teacher of the Sandy Hook School tragedy in 2012, and was an elementary educator for over 30 years. She was a strategic consultant on gun violence issues for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence National Advisory Council. Abbey has been featured in various events, publications, and documentaries, including the 2024 DNC, Newtown, If I Don’t Make It, I Love You, Bullets Into Bells, AFT Voices, USA Today, AARP, Share My Lesson, The Hill, among others.
Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence envisions a future where every school in the United States is a safe haven and a safe learning environment for every child, and where all citizens live without the fear and trauma of gun violence.
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