Athena
We Can end Child gun deaths
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and warfare in Greek mythology, is a symbol of intellect, courage, and justice. Traditionally she is represented or accompanied by the Athene noctua owl, a symbol of wisdom and watchfulness. Unlike other gods associated with war, Athena represents the strategic, protective side of battle—using strength and intellect to defend against chaos and harm.
I felt her commitment to justice and her role as a protector of civilization would make her a perfect symbol for the fight against gun violence, particularly the devastating toll it takes on children.
Every day, eight children or teens die from gun violence, whether through accidental discharges, homicides, or suicides. Perhaps that doesn’t sound high, but firearms are now the leading cause of death among American children and teenagers, surpassing car accidents and cancer.
The U.S. has more guns than people—approximately 393 million firearms in civilian hands—and experiences significantly higher rates of gun violence compared to other developed countries.
School shootings, a uniquely American tragedy, have become all too common, leaving students, teachers, and families traumatized. More than 356,000 students have experienced gun violence on school grounds since 1999, and active shooter drills in schools have become the norm, affecting the mental health of students and staff as they prepare for situations they should never have to face.
Approximately 4.6 million children live in homes with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm, an many accidental shootings happen because children find these weapons and unintentionally discharge them.
Over 90% of Americans, including gun owners, support common-sense reforms around gun control and safety, yet the laws to enact them are stalled and there is a pervasive narrative that widespread change is impossible. We need only look to other countries who have experienced gun violence and made such changes to see both how simple and how effective legislative action could be:
In 1996 a gunman killed 16 children and their teacher at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland – an event known as the Dunblane Massacre. Within two years the UK had passed two sweeping laws banning private handgun ownership. Since 1996 there have been no school shootings in the UK, and gun deaths are among the lowest in the world, at fewer that 0.2 per 100,000 people annually.
After a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania’s Port Arthur, Australia implemented the National Firearms Agreement. This included a ban on semi-automatic and automatic weapons and a gun buyback program that destroyed over 650,000 firearms. Mass shootings have dropped to just one since these reforms from 13 in the 18 years before, with firearm deaths reduced by more than 50%.
Following the Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 people, New Zealand banned military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles. Over 60,000 firearms were collected through a buyback program. While it’s still early to assess long-term impacts, the measures have tightened gun control significantly.
A far-right extremist killed 77 people in a coordinated attack on a youth camp and in Oslo. Norway responded by banning semi-automatic weapons and instituting stricter licensing requirements, including psychological evaluations. The country has not seen a similar mass shooting since.
After school shootings in 2002 and 2009 claimed 16 and 15 lives, Germany raised the minimum gun ownership age to 21, required psychological testing for younger applicants, and tightened storage laws. Today, Germany has one of Europe’s lowest firearm death rates, at less than 1 per 100,000 people annually.
Comparing across other high-income nations, 91% of children under 15 who are killed by firearms are American. It doesn’t have to be like this: we can prevent children from dying from deliberate and accidental shootings in the U.S. if we fight for the change that other countries have shown us is possible.