An estimated 3,200 people die in California every year from gun violence. Seventeen school shootings occurred in California alone between 2018 and 2023. These numbers are even higher in states like Mississippi and Tennessee, where death rates due to gun violence reach over 4,000 every year. Gun violence, specifically in schools and public settings, is something that has risen drastically at approximately a 34% rate from 2014. However, individual stories of people and their families affected by gun violence provide a personal outlook on the turmoil that results from such a traumatic experience.
This was the reality of Qudos Kafo, who was fatally shot by Trequan Barker during a sudden altercation at a Pawtucket cigar bar. Following the tragedy, his uncle and New York resident, Ismail Adediran, became a vocal advocate against gun violence in the U.S. Describing Kafo as one of his favorite people and a hardworking person, Adediran said the loss gave him a deeper understanding of how countless families suffer from similar violence. He now seeks to raise awareness in Los Angeles about the nationwide impact of gun violence.
What are your thoughts on the rise of gun violence in schools and Universities across the U.S?
Ismail Adediran [IA]: I think the epidemic of gun violence in schools, specifically in the U.S., is something that isn’t talked about enough. The survivors and families of these horrible experiences are left with trauma in the aftermath of the shootings. I can say from experience how disheartening it is to go through that pain. It’s especially disheartening to see that nothing is being done, and you never know when it’s going to happen again.
Do you think students should be more involved in conversations about gun safety policies, and why or why not?
[IA]: I think students should be involved in these conversations because students are the biggest stakeholders in schools or campuses, so they should have a huge impact on the policies that are being enacted. Students are also the cause of a lot of school shootings, and honestly, that is the problem right there. There should be some kind of law that will be specifically enacted relating to child access prevention, or maybe putting guns in secure storage so whereby your children don’t have access.
How has gun violence affected your overall community, and how have you been more aware of this after the passing of your nephew?
[IA]: It has affected my community, or any community that I have ever lived in. You can’t have a positive shooting, you know, there’s always the negative implication of it, and it’s just so sad that some communities have been decimated by gun violence because there are so many people who have passed away. This is especially true in low-income or minority neighborhoods. It’s just sad to see these horrible occurrences happening back to back. I just can’t fathom why legislatures are not adamant about trying to put a stop to it. It’s not ok, I have to pray every day when my children go to school because that fear is always in the back of my mind. I shouldn’t have this fear.
How do you think minority communities are affected by gun violence more than others? If so? Why?
[IA]: You have to look at the background of demographics of the community when trying to implement this because people who come from low-income backgrounds, some of them have mental issues that were not dealt with at home, but then they bring [them] to school. Usually, even the resources at school, like the security resources officer at school, will start to play a role. This is a disciplinary way, whereby all these students from minority backgrounds or low-income families are getting in trouble all the time. And they’re more affected than their counterparts from an affluent background or maybe different ethnic backgrounds. So, in conclusion, I think it has negatively affected them.
Did your nephew ever receive justice?
[IA]: The following day after he was murdered, we were getting some very vital information from the police department that they had already identified the perpetrators they were looking for. The last thing that I heard was that he was sentenced to 35 years in jail in some correctional facility in the state of Rhode Island.
How have your views on gun safety and law changed, specifically since your nephew’s death? How has advocating against gun violence become more important to you?
[IA]: Three years ago, I became an avid advocate of making sure that policymakers can help prevent gun violence in the future by making sure that they try to implement proactive, evidence-based interventions. This is a serious issue in our communities, actually all over the country, targeted gun violence prevention policies can also dictate people. Prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. Yeah, as I’ve mentioned earlier, access control in school premises is very important too. When there’s access and control, for example, just like a single entry point or even locks outside the classroom door, it’s another measure that will prevent an active shooter who is on campus or on school premises. So those measures like that will be very pivotal and important, crucial in preventing violence.
Correction statment( June 1,2025, 3:35 p.m.): A previous version of this article included an inaccurate spelling of Ismail Adediran. The content has been revised to reflect the intended message of the article.
