Teens and Guns: Illegal Uses

Series produced by Y-Press

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On New Year’s Eve in 2011, a Y-Press journalist lost her cousin to a fatal gunshot wound on Indianapolis’ near Northside.

At a storyboard, she came to her peers with a question: How easy is it for teens in Indianapolis to get access to guns?

On New Year’s Eve in 2011, a Y-Press journalist lost her cousin to a fatal gunshot wound on Indianapolis’ near Northside.

At a storyboard, she came to her peers with a question: How easy is it for teens in Indianapolis to get access to guns?

Starting with this question of access, Y-Press determined that others in the community would be interested too and began the work of investigating the topic of teens and illegal gun use.

As part of their reporting, Y-Press journalists visited Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility to learn how inmates got access to guns, why guns were important to them, and how they used the weapons. They also spoke with police detectives who are part of a special task force that is using new strategies to combat youth violence in Indianapolis. The team’s findings are reported in this four-part series.

Later this spring, Y-Press will present a follow-up series on teens and legal gun uses.
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On New Year’s Eve in 2011, a Y-Press journalist lost her cousin to a fatal gunshot wound on Indianapolis’ near Northside. At a storyboard, she came to her peers with a question: How easy is it for teens in Indianapolis to get access to guns? Starting with this question of access, Y-Press determined that others in the community would be interested too and began the work of investigating the topic of teens and illegal gun use. As part of their reporting, Y-Press journalists visited Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility to learn how inmates got access to guns, why guns were important to them, and how they used the weapons. They also spoke with police detectives who are part of a special task force that is using new strategies to combat youth violence in Indianapolis. The team’s... Show full description


5 Pieces

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In the last decade in Indiana, about 130 murders were committed by teens, and 79 percent of those involved a firearm. After a Y-Presser lost her co...

Bought by New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 15, 2012
  • Length: 03:37
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, Pendleton, IN, Credit: Andy Yang and Priya Mirmira
In a 2009 survey by the CDC, nearly 1500 Indiana high school students said they had carried a gun for at least one day during the previous 30 days....

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Mar 15, 2012
  • Length: 03:38
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, Pendleton, IN, Credit: Andy Yang and Priya Mirmira, Y-Press
Priya Mirmira, age 15, spoke with 18-year-old inmates who were serving time for gun charges. She learned about their attitudes toward guns, how the...

  • Added: Mar 16, 2012
  • Length: 03:38
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The problem of gun violence among teens and young adults isn’t exclusive to Indianapolis. But it turns out that the way the city is tackling the pr...

  • Added: Mar 16, 2012
  • Length: 03:42
Caption: Juard Barnes, counselor at Prescription for Hope and YVRT programs, Wishard Hospital, Credit: Y-Press
The emergency room at Indianapolis' Wishard Hospital sees its fair share of gun shot victims, both teenagers and adults. Y-Press visited Wishard to...

  • Added: Apr 06, 2012
  • Length: 04:18