Access to Guns Blamed for Youth Violence

Letter to the editor cites easy gun access and brain development as key factors behind recent rise in youth crime.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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In a letter to the editor, a reader responds to a recent editorial about the rise in youth violence, arguing that easy access to guns and the delayed development of the part of the brain that regulates impulse are the primary factors behind the increase in violent incidents involving young people, rather than broader economic and social shifts as the editorial had suggested.

Why it matters

This letter highlights an ongoing debate about the root causes of youth violence, with the reader emphasizing the role of gun availability as a key driver, in contrast to the editorial's focus on broader societal changes. The issue of youth violence and how to address it is a major concern for many communities.

The details

The reader points to estimates that there are at least 400 million guns in the U.S., half of them handguns, and that an 18-year-old can easily obtain a gun. The reader also cites neuroscience research showing that the part of the brain that regulates impulse and associates actions with consequences doesn't fully mature until the mid-20s in young men. The reader argues that combining these two factors - easy gun access and underdeveloped impulse control - explains why conflicts that may have resulted in fist fights in the past now too often turn into shootings.

  • The letter is in response to an editorial published on February 15, 2026.

The players

Dennis Blank

A reader who submitted a letter to the editor in response to a previous editorial about youth violence.

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What they’re saying

“Estimates are that there are at least 400 million guns in the United States; half of them handguns. Any 18-year-old can get a gun in this country without difficulty.”

— Dennis Blank (tribtoday.com)

“Neuroscience tells us that the part of the brain that regulates impulse, and associates actions with consequences, doesn't mature until the mid-20s in young men.”

— Dennis Blank (tribtoday.com)

The takeaway

This letter highlights the ongoing debate around the root causes of youth violence, with the reader emphasizing the role of easy gun access and underdeveloped impulse control in young people as key factors, in contrast to the editorial's focus on broader societal changes. The issue of how to address youth violence remains a major challenge for many communities.