Too Many Guns My Life

My name is Christopher, and I am ten years old.

I am one of America's youngest gun safety campaigners.

No more killing!

And I've got some big names supporting me.

He's pretty extraordinary, I'd say.

From Hollywood actress Julianne Moore

to British rap artist Tinie Tempah.

You're doing a good thing, man.

-Just make sure you keep going.

-Thank you.

My older brother, Akeal, was shot dead five years ago.

I miss everything about him.

Now, I'm on a mission

to discover why guns are such a big part of American life.

I love guns.

I think I was around five when I started training on my dad's lot.

# Put the guns down Put the guns down. #

And to find out what I can do to make the streets safer.

Have you experienced gun violence? Like, do you see it?

Yeah, I see that a lot, especially where I live.

We can end gun violence. Amen.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERS

Got him.

Got him.

OK, OK, OK.

I won! 33-9.

Christopher.

Why are you not ready?

Oh, OK, OK.

You told me you were about to brush your teeth, Christopher.

OK. I'll get dressed.

This kid is unbelievable.

Today is a very big day for me.

What I'm going to be doing is

I'm going to be walking across the Brooklyn Bridge,

and I'm going to be giving a speech on gun violence.

I would like to not worry about who else is going to die.

I don't want to screw up. My oldest brother, Akeal,

was killed in 2012, when he was 15.

I want to stop other families going through a tragedy like this.

He was going to a graduation party...

..and then he was walking home with his cousin,

and then four shots had been fired,

and one of them hit on the back of his head.

We think a gang shot at Akeal and his friends,

mistaking them for another gang.

He was always a kind, sweet brother to me.

He used to always do anything with me. Even if he's tired,

he used to take me to the basketball, to play basketball.

I miss everything about him.

So, what I'm going to do now is put on my brother's bracelet.

He gave me this before he died.

It's very special to me now.

It makes me happy.

Every year, families like mine,

who have lost someone they love to gun violence,

walk across the Brooklyn Bridge demanding the government does more

to keep us safe.

Famous people like the Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore support us.

She has starred in lots of big films,

like Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

-CROWD CHANT:

-What do we want?

-Gun sense!

-When do we want it?

-Now!

-We can!

-End the violence!

Not one more!

It made me feel exciting, saying, "Not one more,"

or, "Put the gun down," because it represents us and Akeal,

and our family.

Akeal was just one of more than 30,000 people killed

by guns in 2012.

Around the same number are killed every year in America.

And the country's leaders never seem to do anything about it.

It's crazy.

It's something that affects us all.

It's an issue for everybody in the United States.

But if adults can't sort it out,

maybe it's time for us kids to get things done.

I'm marching to end gun violence.

We need to protest, and we need to really make a difference together.

As the march comes to an end, my big moment is here.

I am never nervous.

I know I can do it and my whole family know I can do it,

so they gave me the confidence to know I can do anything

if I put my mind to it.

Good afternoon, everyone.

-CROWD:

-Good afternoon.

Every day in America, 93 people die from gun violence.

I have sat and watched as the gun lobby has made this

about their rights.

I say to everyone, what about my rights?

Don't I deserve to grow up?

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Let me hear you say we can end gun violence.

We can end gun violence.

We can end gun violence!

Thank you.

He's pretty extraordinary, I'd say.

He's pretty young to be packing all this eloquence

in this one little body, right?

The thing that's most impressive to me is that he suffered

a tremendous loss and shows up and talks about it

in a way that's incredibly moving. It makes a difference to me,

I'll tell you that. You should be very proud of yourself.

-Thank you.

-OK, you were great today.

Can I give you a kiss?

I think the march went great,

and Julianne's support for the mothers who lost children

has been amazing.

But this is my fourth year doing it,

and guns are killing just as many people as before.

So, I need to figure out, what more can I do?

-Ready to play?

-Yeah, you ready to play?

-Watch the game?

-I'm mad about basketball,

and I also practice with my other brother, Rashawn.

Are you ready to start?

It's the same park Akeal used to bring me to.

Oh, my God...

I've come up with my first idea about how to get kids

to help my campaign.

I want to see what Rashawn thinks of it.

What I'm planning to is have 500 postcards, right...

..and then let kids sign the postcards

and then we're going to send it to the White House,

send them postcards, and postcards, and postcards.

I hope it will send a strong message to our government

that America's kids want more action to stop gun violence.

I think that's a good idea.

Thank you. All right, so what do you want to do now?

Go play some more basketball?

-Are you ready to lose again?

-Yeah. All right.

Come on.

In my neighbourhood in Brooklyn,

there's a mural I like about ending gun violence.

And what I see in this picture is the effect of keeping having a gun

in their hand. Like, people dying.

Just like my brother died.

And what I see over here is a kid throwing all the guns away,

and he's putting them in the fire so he can burn them,

so nobody can use a gun, and I really respect that.

But there are over 300 million guns in America.

That's about as many guns as people.

It's because of a law called the Second Amendment.

It meant every responsible adult has the right to own a gun.

So, I don't think campaigning to get rid of guns is going to work.

To help me find out what else I can do,

I'm meeting some local campaigners called Yo SOS.

Just like me, many here have been affected by gun violence.

Around when I was six or seven years old, I had a birthday party,

and, unfortunately, there was a shoot out.

I was almost shot.

I was eight years old at the time.

And a person who I know and love got shot.

So, after that day I said, you know what,

I vowed to, like, stop gun violence on the street.

What message would you want to send on gun violence?

When shootings happen it's because people don't have nothing to do,

so if we had our own centre for basketball and for table tennis

and for studio time in each neighbourhood,

maybe it wouldn't happen as much,

because people will have something to do.

ALL: Three, two, one, action!

Yo SOS invite me to see a play that they made up for their campaign

to make the local streets safer.

It's to warn young people about the dangers of carrying guns.

You was the boy talking all night on Facebook?

-Yeah, why, what happened?

-All right, cos I've seen that,

and now I'm about to get you.

Basically, the play is a compilation of all our experiences,

and everything is a chain reaction.

You ain't got nothing.

There's a party where two people from different gangs

get into an altercation.

GUNSHOT

I got hit! Ya'll ain't going to help me?

At the end, the audience get the chance to take part,

re-running scenes to see if they can prevent the shooting.

From the party scene.

Anybody want to come up on stage so they can change what happens?

Yes, OK.

I volunteered because they could have handled the situation

very better. What I was trying to do was

I was trying to back away from the situation.

Everybody was having a good time.

No need to fight or shoot. It was a fun party.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

-What's going on here?

-I got the tool here in my pocket.

-He wants to get it.

-No need to argue.

I really liked it because it actually helped me learn

how to handle a situation better.

-See, this kid, you...

-I'm about to get him.

-No, no need for that.

APPLAUSE

I don't think you need to do that.

-All right.

-Yeah, yeah.

If they would just listen and be respectful,

nobody would have got hurt.

OK, so today I'm very excited because I'm going to a block party,

and I'm going to have so much fun.

But also, I'm launching my new campaign

for my brother, Akeal Christopher.

# To the beat

# Just bop your head to the beat

# If you don't wanna dance to the beat. #

Yo SOS holds a party every year to highlight the need

to make our streets safer, and it's inspiring

to find other campaigning kids, like Jaishir.

Come on up here, my brother. Represent for the youth.

# I'm a black brother and I got a dream

# My mother always told me I had something to do

# And that's tough

# Put the guns down, put the, put the guns down

# Put the guns down, put the, put the guns down. #

Did you experience gun violence? Or, like, did you see it?

Yeah, I see it a lot, especially where I live.

Like, when I go outside,

I see a whole bunch of stuff like drug dealing,

guns, fighting and all that.

And that's what makes me try to stop the gun violence

by rapping and doing the things I do.

# Put the guns down, put the, put the guns down. #

For the past few years, I've seen mothers losing their child,

and it's sad for them to lose their child.

My mom's like... Sometimes, she cries on her bed,

so I try to cheer her up.

The next performer, DJ Annie Red, is an anti-bullying campaigner.

I can't believe she's only eight,

and she's been speaking out since she was six.

There's a lot of kids who bullied me because of my voice,

and they kept saying, "You sound like a boy,

"and you're a boy," but I'm not.

I'm a girl, and I have the right to be that.

She performs her own campaign song all over New York.

# No you won't No you won't bully me

# No you won't Because you want to be like me

# Sticks and stones Do break bones

# But words are true and they make you grow. #

What tips would you give me if I wanted to get my message out?

Erm, I think, like, any event in your local area, go there.

You never know who's going to be there. My mom always tells me that.

# No you won't No you won't bully me

# No you won't No you won't bully me

# No you won't think you're better than me

# No you won't. #

You usually find somebody who wants you for another event

and another event, because other people get to hear your message,

and they'll spread it even more.

# No you wont No you won't bully me

# No you won't Because you want to be like me. #

CHEERING

Finally, it's my turn.

I'm here today because I have started a campaign,

and I need help from the kids.

So, I'm going to give you this card so you can send it

to the White House.

I'll definitely do that, cos I like what you're doing.

15, 16, 17...

At the back of it, you could put your feelings on,

like, gun violence.

Thank you, thank you.

..46, 47, 48, 49, 50.

That's the first 50 kids' messages on the way to the White House.

And the Yo SOS has been a big help.

The thing I learned most is that I've got to get kids more activities

to do so they can stay off the streets and stay away from gangs.

Today, I'm a bit nervous.

I'm travelling to Philadelphia for my first ever visit to a gun range.

I was going to say it would be I'm eye-opener,

but that's maybe not a good way to put it

after what happened to me last night.

I was playing basketball with some of my friends.

I tried to get the rebound,

but somebody's elbow hit my eye, and made my eye get swollen.

It is normal. It happens to basketball players.

-Are you going to keep playing?

-Yes.

I've come to check out a gun education project

called Black Guns Matter.

It's run by hip-hop artist, Maj Toure.

You have the human right to defend yourself.

Period. Point Blank.

With that right comes a huge responsibility.

The course teaches kids how dangerous different guns can be.

But it makes me uncomfortable.

Why do you have kids around guns?

Well, for one, a firearm is a tool, and because it is tool,

we want to make sure that people are learning from a very young age that

this tool is to be respected.

This is not something to play with,

this is not something that looks cool for the movies.

People's family members are losing their lives because people are

misinformed and playing around,

thinking it's a video game.

Like, you're going to shoot somebody,

and there's no reset button.

Any kid that wants to gets a chance to go on the range with the

instructors and see what it's like to fire a gun.

A lot of times, you'll hear people go, "Oh, well, totally, guns are

"bad, guns are bad, guns are bad."

A butter knife can be bad in the wrong person's hands.

Today, it's going to be just a heavy emphasis on safety.

Have a space where people understand what not to do with firearms.

Seeing kids firing guns is shocking to me, and in Britain,

where guns are much more rare,

I can only imagine how disturbing it must look to you.

We're on target, OK?

Shooting the gun is a scary.

-It's a lot of power.

-Excellent, good shot.

I think I would do it more times.

I see why you've got to be prepared to have a gun,

or why you've got to be trained.

Good, good. All the way up in front of you.

We learned the correct way how to hold the gun as you shoot it,

and we learned the safety rules.

I think it was both exciting and a little scary.

The noise was scary, but it was fun.

Black Guns Matter also campaign to stop people thinking

every black person with a gun is in a gang.

Maj says all American families have a right to protect themselves.

By showing people that every black man or a black woman with a firearm

is not a thug, a criminal, that does break that stereotype

and change their perceptions.

Some cops, like, they think black kids just are criminals and stuff,

so, like, a white cop would think a black kid

was about to do something wrong with just the way how they look,

or the way how they dress or something.

It's a thin line there.

There's a small portion of those guys that are doing that.

I'm really glad I've seen the course,

but I'm in two minds about kids getting a go on a range.

It good to know the safety and learn how to respect a gun,

but it's bad that kids are using a gun because, like,

who has a kid using a gun?

Because a kid could get hurt.

I'd rather an adult was mature enough to use a gun than a kid.

# Got the heart of Bear Grylls

# Mind of a boss

# Need a brand new Supremes diva like Diana Ross. #

I got some great news for my campaign.

The British artist Tinie Tempah wants to support it.

Tinie is huge, with a platinum album and six UK number ones,

and he's always spoken out against gang violence.

He video calls me on his way to his concert.

It really makes me sad to think of all the lost souls, you know,

that are coming out of council estates that could have gone on

to do so many amazing things,

and they didn't even have the chance to finish school, you know,

let alone live their adult life.

One of Tinie's first ever tracks was a campaign song in 2006

to stop gang deaths on London streets.

Called Put The Knives And Guns Down,

it was a tribute to a talented young soccer player

killed in North London.

Well, there was a guy called Kiyan who had just been stabbed,

and he played for Queens Park Rangers, right, and he was under 16,

and he was about to go and do really well.

Kiyan was 16, the same age as Akeal,

when he was stabbed trying to stop another boy being bullied.

It was just one of the saddest things ever.

I'm campaigning to stop young people falling into gang culture.

-What is your advice?

-What I would say to any young person is

if you don't want to live a cliche,

stereotypical life with a very inevitable end, then, you know,

is that really the path you should go down?

Because it's very clear what happens.

Thank you for your time.

That's all good, bro. Any time.

And well done to you, bro. You're doing a good thing, man.

-Just make sure you keep going.

-Thank you.

Tinie has really inspired me.

A big part of my campaign will definitely be

to stop kids joining gangs.

But I'm still not sure what I feel about so many Americans owning guns.

I've been invited to meet a family from a very different world to mine.

They shoot guns for sport.

As you guys can see, this is my AR-15.

This is the one that I custom built. And then this is my newest one,

this is my Glock 34 Combat Master, which I think is pretty cool.

Aged 12, Shyanne is one of America's best young shooters.

It is fun, entertaining, interesting.

You learn a whole bunch of new things every day

that you are shooting a gun.

My ambition for my life right now is to win a national title

before I'm 18. And I only have a certain amount of time

to get that done, because I'm almost 13, so...

I think it could be a little bit awkward meeting Shyanne...

Nice to meet you.

..I'm not sure we have a lot in common.

I love guns. I mean, I've been around them since I was...

Since I can remember.

I think I was around five when I started training on my dad's lot.

What's your point of view towards guns?

I don't like guns. Well, I think kids should learn how to use a gun,

but not, like, have a gun in your hand yet.

OK. I can agree with you somewhat on that,

cos if kids don't have the proper training,

then I wouldn't want them to have their hands on a gun either,

because then it can be dangerous.

Wow.

Like her dad, Shyanne is a campaigner in favour of guns.

That was like six or seven rounds.

I can open up the page.

If everybody that was good in the world could carry a gun with them,

then they would have a way to defend themselves,

because the bad guys are always going to try and find a way

-to grab a gun.

-I don't agree.

I think carrying guns just leads to more violence.

But even though Shyanne and I have lots of different opinions,

she has a surprise for me.

I'd like to support your campaign,

so I will try everything that I can do, whilst staying with my beliefs.

You could help, like, kids and adults, even adults,

learn how to use a gun properly, and I could teach them, like,

the ways how people can get affected from guns.

Right. I think that's a good plan, and I think it would be really,

really helpful, if we became a team and did that.

What's your number?

I got along way better with Shyanne than I thought I would.

Even though we will never agree on everything.

-OK, let's go and get some water.

-I'm so tired.

And now I know the three most important things for my campaign.

First thing, giving kids gun safety education.

Second thing, getting money for activities for young people.

Third thing, persuading kids to stay away from gangs.

The media are surprised that Shyanne and I are working together.

They are so used to adults from our two worlds arguing with each other.

You guys formed a good friendship here?

-Yes.

-Yep.

-We appear on a programme podcast.

We should know how to respect the guns, and the rules and the safety.

My man, I am very impressed with what you just said.

And we're also invited onto BBC radio,

who interview us in a link up from London.

One of our plans is to go to schools and even communities to talk to them

about, like, gun safety and be safe with a firearm.

Live from ITV Studios in London...

Then I get a call from a TV show in the UK.

Presenter Piers Morgan has heard about my campaign

and wants to bring me and my mom over to Britain

to be on the programme.

Good morning.

I've never travelled outside America before.

First passport, first international trip to the UK.

This is incredible. Look at that.

London is so different to New York.

-Look over there.

-Could you live here?

Yes. I like it.

Wow.

I didn't know London had all this stuff.

This bridge is big.

Close your mouth!

Natasha Christopher.

I feel good about doing this today,

because I'm looking forward to meeting Piers Morgan,

and I'm excited to learn that Shyanne is going to be joining us

live from America.

You can breathe, don't worry.

You can breathe.

Well, he may only be ten years old,

but Christopher has become known for his passionate speeches against guns

in the United States.

What impact did it have on you?

You were only five when your big brother was shot and killed.

It led me to become an advocate, because I was hurt inside,

so my mom took my pain and anger and turned it into action,

because I really respond better, so...

And...

-And you're here with your mum, Natasha.

-Hello.

For the first time in quite a while, I get really emotional.

Well, he's done an amazing job in raising this issue around America.

As you know, there's another view in America.

From her home in North Carolina, we can now speak to Shyanne.

When you hear this young man, who lost his brother,

where can you come together with him?

It's simply gun safety.

They need to know what to do, when to do it,

and how to handle a gun appropriately.

Me and Shyanne started to talk about campaigning around estates,

and neighbourhoods and communities.

To tell them, like, how guns can affect people...

I managed to recover and get my points across.

Well, keep up the good work, young man, you're doing a great job.

I was kind of crying because I miss my brother,

but I had a great experience on television.

You were brilliant. Let me take your microphone back.

I got to talk about gun violence, something that I'm passionate about.

-Great job.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-You spoke really well.

-Thank you.

You should be proud.

It's early days for my gun safety campaign,

but I'm really pleased with the impact it's having so far,

and I really enjoyed getting to know so many inspiring kids,

especially ten-year-old anti-gun rapper Jaishir,

eight-year-old campaigner DJ Annie Red,

and top 12-year-old shooter Shyanne.

Even though me and Shyanne don't agree on all things,

together we're stronger.

I think it shows if kids from different backgrounds

can work together, we can all make a difference.