Officials discuss teen gun possession following arrest of 15-year-old

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Gun possession among teenagers in the U.S. has become more common.

About 4.6 percent of teens carried handguns, according to a 2022 study in the journal Pediatrics. Up from 3.3 percent previously.

The Palm Springs Police Department taking a 15-year-old boy into custody Friday for allegedly running multiple red lights on a mini motorcycle and being found with an illegally possessed firearm.  

“We’re getting a lot of guns off the street from people who can’t legally posses them whether you’re a convicted felon or you’re a juvenile that can’t have a gun... It’s delicate because you’re dealing with a person who’s armed and most people who are illegally possessing a firearms are doing it in a manner that not safe and with ill intent.”

Andy Mills, Palm Springs Chief of Police

Factors influencing teen gun carrying include:

• Perceived Safety/Threats: Reasons for gun carrying were mostly related to perceived safety/threats/revenge. 
• Violence Exposure: Teens who witnessed firearm-related violence were 3.7 times more likely to carry a firearm. 
• Parent ownership of firearm: Access to handguns, more often than not, comes from parents' ownership of firearms.

Scott Robinson with the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City says combating this issue starts by having open conversations.

“One of the things we try to help do is for each person to be connected with somebody. If you have someone you can go to, instead of a gun. If you have that, you have an alternative... You’re not alone. There’s a lot of great people out there that care and go to your trusted person whether at school if it’s a teach, a janitor, a lunch lady. Whoever it is, let them know how you’re feeling.”

Scott Robinson, Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City

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