2004 Teen Gun Survey
Our juvenile partner, Uhlich Children's Advantage Network, conducted their annual teen gun survey that you can access through the links in this press release.
Chicago, Ill. (October 18, 2004) - More than 70 percents of the teens surveyed feel there should be tougher handgun controls, while nearly two-thirds of those surveyed say government officials don't admit that gun violence is a big problem until they have to deal with it personally. Even more frightening, the percentage of teens that personally know someone who has been shot has increased nearly 5 percent in the past year.
"Police officers across the country have expressed their dismay in not renewing the assault weapons ban," said Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. "According to ucan's teen gun survey, the nation's children feel the exact same way and you can't blame them. In many respects, this country is failing its children."
With the expiration of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban in September, teens fear that the number of people's lives affected by gun violence will only continue to grow. Nearly 53 percent of teens say that the government doesn't understand the realities of gun violence for teens and 51.2 percent said if they were victims of gun violence the government would not care.
"This country can be a scary place for a teen to live, especially if that teen feels the government isn't working to secure his/her safety, " said President and Executive Director of ucan, Thomas C. Vanden Berk. "Clearly, teens are expressing dissatisfaction with government support on gun violence issues. It's important that we listen to their ambivalence because it isn't unfounded."
According to the survey, teens feel that gun violence protection laws have indeed been making a difference since their implementation. "In 2000, 40 percent of teens said they could get a handgun if they needed to," said Vanden Berk. "This year, that number decreased to 33.6 percent. Our access to guns has been limited according to these numbers. Now that we are moving away from gun regulations, we are only taking steps back towards gun violence."
"Teens across the country are sending a clear message to Congress - we have let them down by allowing the assault weapons ban to expire this year," said Durbin. "Our kids see that there is no sensible reason to allow these dangerous weapons back on our streets. That one of every three teens fears being shot should be a wake-up call for parents, teachers and government leaders. Kids are concerned, they are scared, and we adults are not doing enough to protect them from gun violence."
The 2004 Teen Gun Survey was created and commissioned by ucan (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network), a multi-service agency for at-risk children and their families in Chicago, and conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited. The nationally representative sampling of teen opinion (+/- 3 percent margin of error) included more than 1,000 respondents from around America. Complete results of the teen gun survey can be viewed at
>>2004 Teen Gun Survey Results
For more information please contact:
Dan Kotowski
Office: (773) 290-5807
Mobile: (773) 243-7152
Chris Short
Office: 263-2500
Mobile: 312-217-0608