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St. Louis Boy Unleashes Powerful, Heartbreaking Message on Gun Violence

“I’m not supposed to be knowing about all these guns. I know about all bad stuff I shouldn’t know about. I’m supposed to be learning about school.”

A 6-year-old boy’s powerful message on gun violence has resonated with thousands across the country.

Young Jeffrey Laney is afraid for his life and of his loved ones because of gun violence in St. Louis. In a video posted by his mother on Facebook, Jeffrey pleas for "people to stop killing each other."

“My Son has A message for St Louis before bed,” the post read. “Our kids are tired!! Wake up people…”

In the video, Jeffrey says he's "scared to die" and that he "doesn't want nothing to happen to my family.”

Jeffrey’s mother, Leanndra Cheatham, lost a relative to an act of gun violence, the boy says in the footage.

“I’m a kid. And I’m not supposed to be knowing all this stuff,” he says. “I’m not supposed to be knowing about all these guns. I know about all bad stuff I shouldn’t know about. I’m supposed to be learning about school.”

By Tuesday morning, the video had been viewed more than 128,00 times.

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His mother wrote Jeffrey had her “in tears” during his speech.

Cheatham, a 28-year-old who works at the St. Louis Justice Center, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she reminds her son “every day that that is the one place he don’t want to be and there are a lot of bad people out there.”

She wrote on Facebook Saturday that what her son said in the video has been keeping her up at night.

“I work everyday and take care of pops,” she wrote. “I can’t do nothing but look at him and hurt because he feels that way!! God he is supposed to be enjoying this stage.”

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