Children should not have to experience fear and pain as a result of the gun violence running rampant through the Island.

This was according to Premier Ewart Brown who spoke after this newspaper published letters written by seven and eight-year-old students at Victor Scott Primary School.

Sophia Iris's P3 class wrote letters to the gunmen begging them to stop shooting people.

Most of the children live in the Pembroke area that has been rocked by gun violence.

And the daughter of Perry Puckerin — the 34-year-old who was gunned down outside of Hamilton Parish Workmen's Club — is a part of the class.

Kerry Puckerin-Tear, eight, said the gunmen not only killed her father but also shot two of her godfathers.

Yesterday, Dr. Brown said: "In the midst of tragedy it is the children who bear the heaviest burden. The anger, fear and pain they are feeling, no one should ever have to experience.

"Their words have served to further deepen the resolve of this Government to stem the rising tide of senseless violence in Bermuda.

"I would like to thank Ms Iris for the work she is doing and encourage her students to continue their positive action."

Lou Matthews, co-founder of Rise Above Bermuda spoke highly of the students at Victor Scott. "The children at Victor Scott Primary are some of the bravest, most courageous children we have ever seen in this country.

"They have stood up where others have sat down. They have spoken while others have kept silence.

"It is their resilient spirit that has kept Rise Above Bermuda going. Over the last six months, Rise Above Bermuda has built a very special and enduring relationship with the Victor Scott School children, staff and community. Our very first planning meeting was held there.

"We also have a mentoring group which has really bonded with the upper school students and has met monthly to mentor kids and listen. The key, we have found, is to listen. The children at Victor Scott, like children everywhere, want to be heard."

Myron Piper, education spokesman for the Bermuda Democratic Alliance suggested a programme on violence be incorporated in schools.

"We need to probably be looking at some type of social programme in order to support these kids and I think what we should probably do is include some type of intervention programme in the curriculum that would actually show them the effect of violence in the community.

"It's not every school that's affected. The other schools aren't going to feel the same. I think that there are social problems that are coming out of this."

Tyciee Faison said: "As a teacher I found the children's plea heartbreaking. I could hear their little voices jumping off of the computer screen. It was moving to the point of tears.

"The post traumatic stress these children are dealing with daily is significant and should not be ignored. They need help to rationalise and place the tremendous amount of pain they are currently in."