PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gun violence doesn’t exist in a bubble, said Warren Miles.
When his 10-year-old daughter, Shanyiah, accidentally shot herself in the head with an unsecured weapon earlier this month, it didn’t just impact her. It tore Miles’ whole family apart.
“Sadly, in the situation, my own brother was a part of this,” he said. The girl’s uncle was charged with involuntary manslaughter and gun-related offenses. “Having to turn my own brother in to the police is the hardest thing that I had to do.”
More than 100 of the shooting victims in Philadelphia so far this year have been under the age of 18 — a 40% increase from last year.
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In response, local lawmakers and activists are urging people to turn in their guns this weekend in exchange for $100 gift cards to Brown’s ShopRite — no questions asked.
Gun buyback events will take place Saturday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at two locations:
• Mt. Enon Baptist Church, located at 500 Snyder Ave. in South Philadelphia
• Upper Room Missionary Baptist Church, located at 7236 Ogontz Ave. in Stenton
The gun buyback program is part of an initiative to curb the surge of gun violence in Philadelphia. Councilmember Cherelle Parker stands by it.
“To anyone that has criticized this gun buyback strategy, this is only one tool in the toolbox,” she said outside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children on Wednesday.
Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez insists previous buybacks have made a difference when other family members intervene.
“There were women who came with guns on buses. There were women who came with guns walking. There were women whose husbands drop them off a block away,” she said.
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Miles said the weight of his daughter’s death rippled through the community.
“Most kids just have a gun because they want to protect themselves,” he said. “They don’t know that having a gun can get you life in prison or having a gun can hurt somebody. They just know that they want to be protected.”
He emphasized that every illegal gun taken off the streets prevents another child from potentially being killed. He wants others to understand the impact of gun violence.
“My family is coping. A lot of my family members are still not talking to each other. Everybody is still hurting. Everybody is still mourning.”
Free gunlocks are available to any Philadelphian who requests one.