When a 9-year-old is gunned down, we must keep sounding the alarm against gun violence

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

What more can be said in the aftermath of the Back of the Yards mass shooting in which 9-year-old Ariana Molina was killed and 10 others wounded, including three boys, ages 1, 8 and 9?

Mass shootings have become so prevalent that they don't always make national news. Firearms injuries are now the number one cause of death of children in the U.S., surpassing motor vehicle collisions, as this editorial board has noted time and again. No fairy tale could protect Ariana, cherished as the "princess" of her family, from these dark realities.

The endless cycle of gun violence and the outcries that follow will only keep spinning on repeat until those in positions of power not only take to heart the desperate cries from survivors and others fed up with the bloodshed — but also take action. Sadly, Americans yearning for the shootings to stop aren't holding their collective breath for that, since deaths of children so far have mostly failed to spark nationwide, collective actions.

The callousness of the people committing the crimes is just as disturbing and disheartening. If there ever really were any rules or an unwritten code of conduct among gang members and other culprits addicted to gunplay, those rules are no longer being followed. Less than a decade ago, even the most jaded Chicagoans were shocked when 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was lured away from a basketball court with the promise of some candy, only to be intentionally gunned down as revenge for a gang-related murder weeks before.

As for the victims caught in crossfire, the perpetrators seemingly shrug off murdered and maimed innocent bystanders as just another byproduct of shootings, much like the spent shell casings scattered about. The shooters also don't appear to think twice about firing against their rivals during the most sacred of events, where crowds are gathered to listen to messages of peace and harmony.

Just a few days before bullets descended on Ariana and others celebrating a relative's Catholic confirmation ceremony last Saturday, a shootout broke out during a gathering marking the end of Ramadan in Philadelphia, authorities there said. Among the injured in that city: A 15-year-old who was allegedly carrying an AR-style pistol and who was shot by a police officer, and a teenage girl who was hit by a squad car as she tried to flee the chaotic scene.

Safe spaces are non-existent and children keep losing their lives, or at the least, are left physically and emotionally scarred by gun violence. At times, they are ones wielding the weapons.

If America continues to ignore the epidemic, it will keep spreading. The potential impact on the next generation is unprecedented.

As of Wednesday evening, 411 children have been killed and an additional 1,004 injured by firearms in the U.S. so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Of the dead victims, 66, including Ariana, were boys and girls 11 and under.

Ariana is also among the 120 children younger than age 16 who have been shot to death in Chicago since 2018, according to data kept by the Sun-Times.

There have been no arrests for Saturday's shooting, which police describe as likely to be gang-related, although Ariana's relatives say they do not have any ties to street gangs.

Chicago police, working in conjunction with other community organizations, on Wednesday set up a free emergency assistance center at Richard J. Daley Academy to help residents cope with the tragedy.

It was the sixth time such a facility was opened in the city in recent years after shootings that had a sizable impact in the neighborhoods where they took place, a CPD spokesman told us.

Connecting citizens with resources for counseling, along with guidance on obtaining victim compensation and property repairs, goes a long way when emotions are high. Studies have shown that those who survive a mass shooting can exhibit an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

Helping pick up the pieces is beneficial after a tragedy. What's also tragic is that it's necessary. What would be more advantageous: Tougher policies and laws to prevent gun violence and keep Americans, particularly children, safe.

This editorial board has written over and over about gun violence here and elsewhere. Sometimes it feels as if we have nothing left to say. Words fail us.

But if we don't raise our voices against gun violence, more children like Ariana, and thousands of other innocents, will pay the price with their lives.

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