Moved by Public, States Seek To Curb Youth Violence

By Millicent Lawton

Responding both to the gravity of the problem and to a growing public outcry, an increasing number of states are taking action to curb youth violence.

Although it in the past has usually been viewed as the responsibility of local officials, the issue of children carrying guns and committing violence in school or on the streets has moved to the top of states' agendas, with three governors calling special legislative sessions to enact new laws and a number of states creating state-level task forces.

The latest such effort is by Gov. Lawton Chiles of Florida, who next week will open a special session of the legislature to address, as one of its issues,...