Tragic Shooting of 11-year-old Anisa Scott in Madison is a Stark Reminder of Toll of Gun Violence on Children

Anisa Scott, an 11-year-old girl who was shot in the head earlier this week in Madison, was taken off life support Thursday morning, according to Channel 3000. Police believe Anisa was struck by shots fired from one vehicle to another that were aimed at someone else.
 
According to city officials, gun violence is on the rise in Madison and continues to be the second leading cause of death for children and teens in Wisconsin – a stark reality that is uniquely American. As cities in Wisconsin, including Madison and Milwaukee, continue to confront the ongoing public health crises of both coronavirus and gun violence, lawmakers must consider the root causes of gun violence and act on proven, comprehensive solutions to save lives. 

To prevent gun violence, leaders must address its underlying causes and should be:

• Stemming the flow of guns into cities by strengthening Wisconsin’s gun laws
• Investing in life-saving local intervention groups like the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County and JustDane.
• Dismantling the racist policies and systems that created the conditions where public health crises like gun violence thrive.

An average of 46 children and teens die by guns every year in Wisconsin. The state’s gun violence disproportionately affects Black children and teens, who are four times as likely as their white peers in Wisconsin to die by guns. In the United States, 58% of all gun deaths among children and teens are homicides. Children and teens in the U.S. are impacted by gun violence in all its forms. Exposure to gun violence has an impact on the psychological and mental well-being of children and teens and affects their school performance, among other factors.

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers are available for interviews. Statistics about gun violence in Wisconsin are available here, and information on how Wisconsin’s gun laws compare to other states overall is available here.