Gun Violence Plagues Schools

Gun violence is a growing concern in schools across Southeast Louisiana, with over 30,000 students in more than 70 schools set to participate in the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence Day on October 15, 2014.

According to United States Attorney Kenneth Polite, the pledge aims to encourage students to make a commitment to never take a gun to school, never resolve a dispute with a gun, and use their influence to prevent friends from using guns to resolve disputes.

Elementary school children will make a simpler commitment, pledging that if they see a gun they will not touch it, they will assume that any gun they see might be loaded, and they will tell a teacher or a trusted adult.

The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that recognizes the role that young people, through their own decisions, can play in reducing gun violence. Over 10 million students nationwide have signed the pledge since its inception in 1996.

U.S. Attorney Polite stated that his Office began using the pledge during the 2013-14 school year, with approximately 2,500 students signing the pledge at seven schools. Due to the outstanding response from school leaders and students, the Office decided to expand the initiative district-wide to include all schools in all 13 parishes, including Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington.

Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies will serve as speakers at several schools to talk to students about what they can do to reduce gun violence in their communities.

The participating schools and law enforcement agencies include Algiers Technology Academy, Alice Birney Elementary School, Assumption High School, and 64 other schools across Southeast Louisiana. By joining the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence, students are taking a crucial step towards creating safer communities and a brighter future for themselves and their peers.

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