Pediatricians — No child should live in fear of gun violence

“I felt like a rock.” Those were the words of nine-year-old Odai Shanah in a news interview that gained viral attention on social media. Odai was a witness to the horrific shooting that took place at the largest mosque in San Diego last month. In the video, we can all see a young boy recounting his experience with stunning composure, recalling seeing and hearing what his innocent mind can only process as “bad stuff.” While he speaks with the same calmness of how we imagine he might also share the day’s lessons or playground antics, he speaks of hearing gunshots and how his legs were shaking. Hearing Odai talk about this traumatic experience in the mosque where he attended school broke our hearts. As we observe National Gun Violence Awareness Month, our message is clear: No child should ever have to experience that fear – all children should be safe from violence in all the places where they live, play, learn, and pray. However, the sad reality is that exposure to gun violence is routine for children across our country. For several years now the statistics have painted a grim p