The Section on Children and the Law of the American Association of Law Schools seeks a paper to fill out a panel on “Guns, Violence, and Children,” to be held as part of the AALS 2014 Annual Meeting, to be held January 2-5, 2014, in New York City. Organizers write:

‘Gun violence is a leading cause of death and injury to children, and continues to be a major risk factor to many children nationwide, whether at home or in their community. Twenty years separate the Columbine and Newtown tragedies, yet we are no closer to addressing the root causes of gun violence, particularly as it affects children. And potential causes, such as the impact of violent media and the accessibility of weapons, are hotly contested as illustrated by the recent Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Entertainment Merchant’s Ass’n and current Congressional debates over gun regulation. Nor do we adequately understand the impact on children of witnessing gun violence. This is particularly significant in the family violence context, where children too frequently experience trauma by witnessing violence between their parents or other intimate partners, and by being harmed themselves. Topics to be addressed include the potential causes and ways to prevent gun violence by and against children, as well as the impact on children of witnessing violence.’

Section Chair Jonathan Todres of Georgia State Law will moderate. Already confirmed are the following speakers: Sarah Buel, Arizona State Law; Martin Guggenheim, New York University Law; and Ronald Sullivan, Harvard Law. An additional speaker will be selected from among those who submit in response to the call for papers.

Deadline for submissions is August 15, 2013. E-mail Section Chair-Elect Cynthia Godsoe, Brooklyn Law, at cynthia.godsoe[at]brooklaw.edu, with “CFP submission” in the subject line.

(credit for detail for 13-year-old girl’s letter to President Barack Obama)