(A summary of this month's Youth Update)
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According to a report by the Department of Education, over 6,000 students were expelled in 1996-1997 for bringing guns into their public schools. A 1990 survey by the Centers for Disease Control reported that one in 20 high school students had carried a gun in the past month.

Why did those kids feel the need to carry a gun to school? Did they intend to use the gun or just scare people with it? Was it a need for personal safety or the desire to hurt others? This Youth Update addresses these questions and provides you with a broader understanding of why choosing violence is a poor answer to any problem.

1. Is Carrying a Gun One Way to Be Safe?

Why do teens bring guns to school? Some do it to protect themselves from dangers at school (or on their trip to and from school) or to threaten others. For others, having a gun is a way to feel more important. Even though it's illegal, teens can get a gun quite easily. Teens sometimes take their parent's gun without permission. In other cases, a parent gives a gun to a teen child.

2. Is Carrying a Gun One Way to Be Brave?

Desmond Riley (Educational Fund to End Gun Violence) believes fear is the main reason for guns in schools. "Young people bring guns to school because they are scared that other students might be carrying guns and that they need to protect themselves," says Mr. Riley. "Once one student starts bringing a gun to school, some students will follow suit because they are scared."

Self-harm can also be a reason for bringing a weapon to school. Tina, a Michigan youth, was just 15 when she hid a weapon in her purse. When the pressures from both home and school proved too much for her to handle, suicide seemed the only way out.

3. Is a Gun Just One More Step in a Progression of Troubles?

When you see negative things going on around you, it's easy to let fear and intimidation guide your choices. Instead of reacting out of your feelings, think clearly about what you see happening around you. Ask yourself why these things are happening and whether they are positive or negative. Using your head will keep you out of hot—even boiling—water!

4. Don't Make a Gun Your Best Friend

Not every friend is a positive influence. You need to choose wisely. Friends can also have a negative effect on your life. While it's a good thing to reach out to help a friend who may be involved with dangerous activities, you must also realize when you need to stay away.

5. Arm Yourself in the Spirit of God

Prayer was a frequent comfort for Rebecca, she remembers. "My parents didn't want us to talk to anyone about what was happening with my brother. I think it was because they were ashamed, and didn't want people to see that we weren't the perfect family. It was a terrible, lonely way to feel.

"I had all this horrible stuff happening in my house, but I didn't dare talk to anyone about it, or ask anyone for help. Except for confiding in a couple close friends, I had no one...so it really helped me to be able to talk to God about my problems. It was like, no matter where I was, or what was happening, he was always the one person I could count on being there to listen."

Tina recalls her suicide attempt as a time of anger with God: I believe in God, but why did he let this happen to me? If God loves me so much, then why did he let so many bad things happen to me?" Tina still struggles with her feelings about God and what she sees as his abandonment of her in her times of need. Her faith is weak right now, but you can take steps to strengthen your own.

6. You Can Be a Disarming Influence

What is the power you can have in such challenging situations? "Instead of continuing to adjust to the negative things in life, start asking what you could do to have a positive outcome," says Carmen Mora (Faith Formation Associate for St. Mary Cathedral Parish in Saginaw, Michigan). "What if you try to do a little better in school? What if you surround yourself with positive people? What if you prayed each day?"

Sometimes we rely on things outside ourselves to solve our problems for us, instead of looking to the power that is within each and every one of us. We rely on "things" rather than on ourselves and God's love and wisdom. It can seem an easier route to pick up a gun when we're scared or troubled, but as Mr. Riley reminds us, "Guns don't solve problems, they create problems."

"If you carry a gun, you are more likely to use it. The repercussions of that will haunt you for the rest of your life. As a young person, you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't let one senseless act of violence ruin your life." That one act is usually preceded by many poor choices, so it will take many other better choices to turn things around.

Mr. Riley urges, "It's important to remember that, despite the focus on youth violence, the vast, vast majority of young people make positive contributions to society. Just as a student who brings a gun to school can have a domino effect on his peers, so can a student who engages in positive behavior. Young people who are constructive and positive can change their school for the better."

Mae Austria (17), Jason Marasigan (18), Christopher Montalvo (18), Christina Pascarello (17) and Mary Kate Schmidtke (16) are members of T.O.R.C.H. (Teen Out Reach in Response to Community Health), youth group at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Jersey City, New Jersey. Youth minister Marianela Iribarne sent the group's feedback—via e-mail—to the editor.