Youth Power, Not Guns Toolkit
The Center on Race, Law and Justice in partnership with the Peer Defense Project (PDP), has developed this transformative legal resource and toolkit aimed at empowering people with the tools and knowledge to mobilize and advocate for a safer future in the face of unrelenting gun violence threatening our communities: the Youth Power, Not Guns Toolkit.
In recent years, guns have been the leading cause of death among children and teens - accounting for more deaths than car crashes or overdoses. With the dreadful impact of gun-violence on the lives of young people, particularly Black, Indigenous, Brown and poor young people, it is important to fully understand how the government has responded to this reality faced by millions everyday.
The ongoing focus on the right to bear arms has pushed legislators to prioritize the protection of semi-automatic weapons over the safety and lives of young Americans. This blatant disregard for human life is a position that the Center on Race, Law, and Justice and Peer Defense Project cannot and will not support. This is a state of affairs young people across the country have refused to accept.
The fight to protect our democracy and build a society where the rights, dignity and humanity of all people are recognized and protected is a continuous one rifled with challenges. However, within these challenges, there is also an opportunity for activists and changemakers to inspire hope and work towards a brighter future for our democratic institutions.
This toolkit empowers users with the tools and knowledge to mobilize and advocate for a safer future.
Key components of the toolkit include:
- Defensive Tactics: Understanding the Constitution and individual rights
- Offensive Strategies: Analyzing the legal framework of gun regulations across all levels of government
- Future Aspirations: Envisioning how youth-led reimaginings of laws and societal structures can shape future gun regulations to protect young lives
We encourage you to explore this toolkit and help spread its message. By working together, we can empower young people–especially those affected by gun violence– to understand, utilize, and re-imagine the law as a means of protecting their futures.
At its core, YPNG envisions and works to create a world where young people have greater protections under the law than guns. Explore the guide and join the movement!
Read about the Toolkit in the Newsroom.