Content Warning: Self-inflicted gunshot

A tragic scene unfolded in Utah County this week when a Canyon View Junior High ninth grader died by his own hand during a school field trip. The student reportedly brought a loaded firearm to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon and shot himself in front of classmates. Emergency crews airlifted him to a hospital, but he later died from his injuries.

Police have confirmed the death as a suicide. The student was only in ninth grade, which puts him at about fourteen years old. While it hasn’t been reported where the gun came from, Utah has an inordinate amount of gun-owning families. Although not confirmed, the weapon most likely came from home. A fourteen-year-old should never have his hands on a firearm, let alone be able to bring it on a school field trip.

As heartbreaking as this loss is, it’s important to acknowledge the danger this situation posed to everyone else on that trip. The presence of a loaded gun in a school environment, whether in a classroom or on an outing, instantly endangers dozens of lives. The student’s death is tragic, but the fact that they were able to carry a firearm unchecked onto a bus and into a park filled with their peers shows just how reckless and dangerous unsecured guns in the home can be.

Until Utah and other heavily armed states reckon with the reality of children accessing weapons, tragedies like this will remain far too common.

(If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support 24/7.)

(Sources)

• Utah County student dies after bringing gun on school field trip, ‘appears’ to have fired it
• Orem student dies from self-inflicted gunshot while on field trip