In 1993, the number of violent crimes dropped 5 percent overall, according to the FBI, but across America law enforcement officers reported crime among juveniles was growing at an alarming rate.
For example, between 1986 and 1991, the homicide rate among 14- to 24-year-olds jumped 62 percent. The rate of homicides among 14- to 17-year-olds jumped 124 percent.
School systems reported students carrying guns were becoming all too common. In many places, schools installed costly metal detectors.
A Harris poll in July showed that almost a tenth of those interviewed said they had shot at someone at some point. Eleven percent said they had been shot at in the past year. Another 15 percent said they had carried a gun within the last 30 days.
Officials said there were many reasons for the increase in youth shootings.
Much of the violence was blamed on gang wars, which were spreading from the inner cities to suburbs.
In many cases, the violence seemed senseless. A Los Angeles youth shot a cheerleader because he wanted her Walkman. There were incidents where children killed children for jackets and jewelry.
A sociologist at Spelman College said families -- made up of single parents or families where both parents work -- no longer offered a balance to peer pressure and violence in society.
In addition to metal detectors at schools, cities like Atlanta have instituted curfews for teenagers. In Omaha, Neb., city officials enacted a law prohibiting anyone under 22 from owning a gun.
