Among the many theories debated regarding the causes of juvenile crime and violence—including genetic predisposition, environmental influence, violent images in the media, poverty, and single-parent families—one of the most controversial is whether the availability of guns in American society contributes to juvenile crime. While many argue that the presence of large numbers of guns increases the risk of youth violence and fatalities, others contend that guns protect law-abiding citizens from armed criminals.

According to Eric Lotke, a research associate at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, and Vincent Schiraldi, the executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, in 1987 “the number of juvenile homicides with a firearm started to spiral upwards while the number of non-firearm homicides stayed steady or decreased.” Lotke, Schiraldi, and others contend that guns have...