‘Kids to Kings’ Brings Firearm Education to America’s Inner Cities

In a time when firearms and mental health are too often discussed separately, Walk the Talk America (WTTA) is bridging the gap with a groundbreaking outreach effort: Kids to Kings, a youth mentorship and mental health program led by Devin Perkins.

The program’s mission is simple but powerful: to teach young men, particularly Black and brown youth in America’s inner cities, how to manage trauma, build confidence, and learn responsible firearm safety through education and empowerment, not fear.

Breaking the Cycle of Trauma

At its core, Kids to Kings focuses on the roots of Complex Trauma and CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), conditions that can arise from repeated exposure to violence, neglect, or instability at a young age.

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, complex trauma disrupts a child’s emotional development and sense of safety, especially when it occurs in the home. Without support or structure, these kids often develop unhealthy “survival mode” behaviors: reacting with aggression, avoidance, or anxiety instead of reason and reflection.

Kids to Kings aims to stop that cycle early. Through honest conversations, mentorship, and structured firearm safety lessons, the program helps kids better understand their emotions and learn to respond, not react, when faced with conflict or fear.

“I’m very proud of our Kids to Kings program, as it addresses one of the major ways youth are negatively impacted by firearms,” said Michael Sodini, President of Walk the Talk America (501-C-3) told Gunsamerica in an exclusive interview. “The program introduces guns in a positive manner and an environment that is the opposite of the way they are exposed to them in their communities and pop culture. Every child deserves access to responsible firearms education.”

The Numbers Tell the Story

The statistics driving this mission are sobering:

• 65% of Black children grow up without a father (KidsCount.org)
• Homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males ages 10–24 (CDC.gov)
• Suicide ranks third among causes of death for Black youth in the same age range (CDC.gov)
• The Black youth homicide rate is more than 18 times higher than that of white peers (Johns Hopkins University)
• Since 2013, Black youth gun suicide has tripled (Johns Hopkins University)

Kids to Kings doesn’t ignore those realities. It meets them head-on, providing mentorship and responsible firearm instruction as tools for empowerment and healing.

From Surviving to Thriving

Devin Perkins and the WTTA team believe education and exposure are key to prevention. By creating a safe, guided environment to discuss firearms, trauma, and emotional control, these young men gain a healthier understanding of both themselves and the tools that too often define their environment.

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Workshops focus on emotional intelligence, situational awareness, and responsible firearm handling, helping students replace fear and uncertainty with confidence and purpose.

“Proper guidance trains your mind to recognize danger or anxiety and respond correctly instead of panicking,” the program notes. “Without guidance, the brain sees every uncomfortable situation as dangerous and develops unhealthy coping mechanisms.”

Empowering the Forgotten

For WTTA, this isn’t charity. It’s intervention through empowerment. Kids to Kings operates on the belief that every child deserves the chance to rise above their environment, to become a leader in their own life.

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Through hands-on workshops, open discussions, and consistent mentorship, the program offers what many kids in underserved communities never receive: trust, structure, and hope.

“Our goal is to be the missing link,” the organization explains, “providing the guidance and understanding young men need when they’ve been left out, misunderstood, and underserved.”

Building Kings, Not Victims

Walk the Talk America’s Kids to Kings program is reshaping the conversation around firearms and mental health. Instead of demonizing guns or ignoring mental health, it teaches both, showing that education, mentorship, and compassion can save lives in the communities that need it most.

For more information or to donate to the program, visit WalkTheTalkAmerica.org.

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