Gun Violence in Small Towns

By Levi Fleeger

Admittedly, I spent most of my life being ignorant about issues surrounding gun violence. I’m from a very small town in rural Pennsylvania with a population of only 192 people. Therefore, our town was fairly uneventful. However, that all changed when I was in ninth grade.

One evening after school, my mom got a dreadful call. My peer had committed suicide. It was all surreal. We weren’t necessarily friends, but being from a small town, it still sent shock waves through the area. The next day at school, a somber feeling filled the halls. As class began, my teacher addressed the situation, then moved on. But for me, I couldn’t just move on and focus on the material. Instead, I was haunted by that empty seat right next to me. Although I didn’t know it at the time, this was the beginning of my fight to end gun violence.

At the time, I didn’t realize the vast forms of gun violence. I never thought beyond my community or asked how big of an issue this might be. Would he still be alive today if his father had properly stored his guns and locked the case instead of leaving them out for his children to access? The answer is clear to me now.

Since I’ve gone to college, I’ve realized the different ways that gun violence affects communities – none of which are more or less tragic than the next. For me, joining the fight to end gun violence meant realizing that it looks different to different people. For me, gun violence was an empty chair. That’s where the fight began, and I’m hopeful that our generation is where it ends.