How gun violence is reshaping American lives - Lejit Reporters
How gun violence is reshaping American lives - Lejit Reporters
As gun violence increases and shootings seem to make headlines every few days, the fear of getting caught up in one is changing the lives of millions of Americans.
A shopping mall. A classroom. A teenager's house party.
All have suffered the scourge of a US mass shooting in recent weeks.
To many Americans, it feels like it could happen anywhere.
As National Gun Violence Awareness Day looms on Friday, how is this issue affecting the way people go about their lives?
Around 60% of adults say they have talked to their kids or other relatives about gun safety, according to a survey by KFF, a non-profit organisation focused on health policy.
Some of these conversations are sparked by lockdown drills in US classrooms. In some cases, students as young as five are taught when to barricade doors and when to run for their lives if a gunman is prowling the corridors.
Recently, Morgan Hook's nine-year-old daughter Elise came home from school and took her family by surprise when she said the drills would not be much use if the gunman just shot down the door.
Mr Hook tried to reassure his daughter that wouldn't happen, but he thought back to a recent shooting at a private school in Nashville when the suspect did exactly that.
"Sometimes when you try to comfort your kids, that means you're lying to them," says Mr Hook, who lives in Saratoga County, New York.
It's useful for parents to have conversations with their children about gun violence, provided they do so calmly, says Vaile Wright, the senior director of health care innovation with the American Psychological Association.
Gun violence in the US has at times caused some to uproot their lives. About 15% say they've moved to a different neighbourhood or city because of it, according to KFF.
Last year, 40-year-old Travis Wilson and his wife moved to a new neighbourhood in Louisville, Kentucky, after moving from Old Louisville where they counted the number of gunshots at night.
