We should all be concerned when young people get their hands on deadly weapons. Simply put, the research shows that youth who carry firearms are much more likely than other youth to be victimized by and to commit gun violence. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for teens. However, according to the research, a small fraction of youth who carry guns use them to commit violent crimes.
But instead of understanding why teenagers carry guns, or investing in what works to guide them away from such behavior, policymakers are relying on one-size-fits-all punitive responses that not only fail to make communities safer, but also jeopardize young people’s futures.
As part of the recent justification for taking over Washington, D.C.’s police department, the Trump administration escalated their punitive rhetoric, with U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro publicly calling on the D.C. Council to repeal key reforms for youth. Backed by the president, Pirro demanded harsher punishments, despite data from the Department of Justice showing the decline of violent crime, both in the city and nationwide since 2023. And Congressional Republicans have also embraced this agenda, moving federal legislation to change D.C.’s youth justice laws.
Black youth would bear the brunt of such backtracking in the nation’s capital. Nationally, they represent half of all youth weapons arrests, even though they only make up 15% of all youth. Youth arrested for possessing a gun, often out of fear, are often denied the opportunity to take part in diversion programs; instead, they are placed in detention facilities and even transferred to adult courts.
Many carry those weapons for self-protection, not to commit crimes. Some carry because they feel unsafe, have experienced trauma, or are surrounded by peers who also carry. So why are we criminalizing youth we should be helping?
While the percentage of high school-age youth carrying guns has dropped nearly 30% since 2017, the justice system’s response has grown increasingly aggressive, marked by sharp increases in arrests, court referrals and detentions in weapons cases where no violence or threats occurred. The evidence is clear: these punitive responses do not work and increase the likelihood of future offending.
The Sentencing Project’s recent report, “From Punishment to Prevention: A Better Approach to Addressing Youth Gun Possession,” offers a clear-eyed look at what’s wrong and how to fix it. It underscores what I have seen firsthand: this punitive shift not only fails to reduce gun carrying, but actually causes more harm.
The report outlines evidence-based, prevention-first strategies that address the root causes of why young people carry guns in the first place, as well as intensive interventions for the very small population of youth and young adults at highest risk for gun violence. This includes strategies, such as President Biden’s Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative that showed promising results; cognitive behavioral interventions and common-sense gun control efforts like background checks and safe storage laws.
But the Trump administration is proactively steering the country away from such options, slashing funding for violence reduction programs, even though they have been proven to work. In April, the Department of Justice rescinded over $150 million in federal support for community violence interruption efforts that were approved overwhelmingly by the Congress as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This move by the administration undercuts law enforcement’s efforts to collaborate with community stakeholders to implement effective, research-backed strategies that reduce violence in communities most impacted.
These are initiatives that focus on preventing shootings by working with youth most at risk. In Massachusetts, ROCA Inc. lost multiple years of funding while national initiatives such as Cure Violence Global in Chicago also saw their support evaporate. Programs like these have been instrumental across the country for reducing gun violence, often dramatically. Now, many are being forced to shut down or scale back.
This is a devastating and shortsighted policy choice. At a time when we should be investing more in the interventions and initiatives that help prevent gun violence before it happens, our leaders are walking away from them. The Sentencing Project’s research underscores why this moment is so critical. Their survey of youth justice professionals across 34 states and D.C. found that more than half of those surveyed viewed their court systems’ handling of youth gun possession as “a major concern.”
To improve outcomes for youth involved in the justice system, we must expand diversion programs for those charged with gun possession, especially first-time and low-risk youth. These alternatives to incarceration offer a chance for rehabilitation without the long-term harms of having a criminal record. At the same time, we must limit the use of detention and end the harmful practice of transferring youth to adult court, which research shows often leads to worse outcomes.
Instead of relying solely on punitive measures, we must invest in community-based violence interruption initiatives that prioritize prevention and accountability outside the courtroom. Finally, providing cognitive behavioral interventions to help youth manage trauma and reduce risk will equip them with the tools they need to make safer choices and build brighter futures.
These strategies have already proven successful in cities like Denver and Tampa, where focused interventions, not mass arrests, helped reduce shootings and rebuild community trust.
We all deserve to feel safe in our communities, and part of public safety is keeping our youth safe too. Building a network of programs that understands young people’s needs is the path that gets us there. Punishment is not prevention.
