So far this year, Dayton police have arrested about 94 people under the age of 18 for having firearms, according to police department data obtained by this newspaper.
That’s up from 62 arrests in 2022 (48% increase), the data show, and nearly as many firearm violations involving juveniles as Dayton police recorded in all of 2019, 2020 and 2021 combined.
Dayton police said children with guns pose a significant threat to public safety.
Juveniles often do not have the emotional maturity or impulse control to handle firearms responsibly, which increases the risk of accidents, violence or unintended consequences, police said.
Police said juvenile crime is up around the nation, and it is very hard to figure out why this is happening.
Where guns come from
Some kids get guns from home.
One in three U.S. families with children have guns in the home, and more than 22 million kids live in homes where firearms are present, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
Other juveniles buy guns on the street.
Anecdotally, juveniles and adults who aren’t allowed to have guns get them in the same kind of ways, said Suzanne Dabkowski, a spokesperson for the Columbus Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
They get guns from others and through straw purchases and theft, she said.
Juveniles may only receive and possess handguns if they have the written permission of a parent or guardian and it must be for limited purposes, like employment, ranching, farming, target practice or hunting, Dabkowski said.
She said federal law does not address juvenile possession of long guns.
Gun violence
Dayton police recovered nearly 800 firearms through the third quarter of this year, which was a 6% increase from the same period in 2022, Afzal said.
Unfortunately, the Dayton Police Department saw a 5% increase in part 1 gun crimes in the first three quarters of this year, the chief said.
Eric Shafer, court administrator with Montgomery County Juvenile Court, said he believes the court this year has seen a modest increase in juvenile weapon offenses.
However, Shafer said juvenile court handles about 6,000 cases each year for offenses related to delinquency and unruliness. He said just a small fraction of these cases — maybe about 100 — are related to weapon violations.
Juvenile court has seen cases involving accidental shootings of loved ones and family members, Shafer said, and those events can cause lifelong trauma and hardship.
Some kids evidently carry guns for protection, but they do not fully under the potential consequences of having or using a gun, he said.
Shafer said he thinks gun buyback programs and treatment services and therapy are some of the best ways to reduce the likelihood of kids engaging in dangerous behaviors, like acquiring and carrying guns.
“It’s what I call pro-social opportunities for kids,” he said. “For the kids that come to our attention, we do everything we can to offer a very comprehensive service ... they are exposed to as many resources as we have available.”
What Dayton police are doing
The Dayton Police Department is trying to combat gun violence by assisting with neighborhood safety plans, Afzal said.
The police department also has partnered with other law enforcement agencies, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, to conduct initiatives that are focused on individuals in the community who are committing gun crimes, the chief said.
Afzal also said the police department has been trying to expand its use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to identify links between guns and violent offenders.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
It’s not just juvenile firearm offenses that have risen.
The Dayton Police Department has arrested more than 1,000 juveniles this year for various criminal offenses, including receiving stolen property, motor vehicle theft, menacing and weapons violations, said Dayton police Lt. Col. Eric Henderson, who is the assistant police chief.
“That’s more than doubled from 2020,” he said.
More than 2,000 vehicles have been stolen this year in Dayton, which is the most in nearly two decades, Henderson said, and young people have contributed to the surge of car thefts.
Earlier this year, the police department reported a big increase in juvenile bookings.
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