Children are not Bulletproof was inspired by the appalling news that in conflict after conflict, in every corner of the earth, children are the innocent victims of political, ethnic and religious struggles.

Even in the United States, children fall victim to gun violence. Children are the innocent victims of urban wars caused by gangs and criminals.  Video games with shooting and guns and paintball battles as entertainment reduce the respect and concern that children would normally feel towards guns and armed warfare.  We have not established a safe zone either physically or mentally for children. We have forgotten that children are not bulletproof.

Two pins (suitable for wearing this political message) and three wall mount elements constructed primarily from recycled tin containers (pre-existing scratches and marks may be present); brass, 14k. gold-filled wire, vintage plastic, red satin ribbon.

Dimensions: 64.25” H installed (Ribbon length rests on the floor)  x  4” W x   2.25” D

Available for purchase or exhibition

Children are not Bulletproof

Alluring from a distance.

Red ribbon cascades down, falling to the floor.

Radiating lines; walk closer.

Letters become words.

“Children are not Bulletproof”

Step back, turn away. How can flowing, red blood be beautiful?

We cannot step back from the issues of gun violence.

We cannot turn around and forget that innocent children are killed by guns Every day.

Their blood falls to the floor.

Although made in 2000, Children are not Bulletproof, with its exploration of gun violence, is a piece that remains critically relevant today, arguably more so than its inception 20 years ago.

Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S.

“In 2020, gun violence overtook car accidents to become the No. 1 cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents.” (Koko Nakajima/NPR reports using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the New England Journal of Medicine.)

Researchers from the University of Michigan looked at firearm-related deaths between 2019 and 2020. They found that firearm-related deaths increased 13.5% overall. But among children and adolescents? Firearm-related deaths increased a staggering 30%.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, “Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States”, N Engl J Med 2022

© Harriete Estel Berman, 2022