‘Gun-related deaths among children in the U.S. reached a distressing peak in 2021, claiming 4,752 young lives and surpassing the record total seen during the first year of the pandemic, a new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
The alarming statistic clearly indicated that America’s gun violence epidemic has gotten worse, experts say. More than 80% of the gun deaths were among males 19 and younger. Black male children were more likely to die from homicide. White males 19 and younger were more likely to kill themselves with guns.
“This is undoubtedly one of our chief public health crises in this country,” said Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Northwell Health in New York and the lead author of the study, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. “The most likely reason that your child will die in this country is at the hands of a firearm. That’s not acceptable.”
This grim reality marks the second consecutive year in which gun-related injuries have solidified their position as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents, surpassing motor vehicles, drug overdoses and cancer. There are no signs of this trend slowing, Sathya said. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths in 2021 were homicides, although unintentional shootings have killed many children. No matter how young the victims, pediatric gun-related deaths have left their mark on nearly every corner of the U.S.’
www.nbcnews.com
Some will complain that responsible gun owners shouldn’t be burdened with efforts to address the problem of child gun deaths.
Others will claim that child gun deaths are indeed no different than children dying in car accidents or from disease and nothing can or should be done about it.
And still others will attempt to deflect from the problem with lies about guns being ‘banned’ and ‘confiscated.’
The alarming statistic clearly indicated that America’s gun violence epidemic has gotten worse, experts say. More than 80% of the gun deaths were among males 19 and younger. Black male children were more likely to die from homicide. White males 19 and younger were more likely to kill themselves with guns.
“This is undoubtedly one of our chief public health crises in this country,” said Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Northwell Health in New York and the lead author of the study, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. “The most likely reason that your child will die in this country is at the hands of a firearm. That’s not acceptable.”
This grim reality marks the second consecutive year in which gun-related injuries have solidified their position as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents, surpassing motor vehicles, drug overdoses and cancer. There are no signs of this trend slowing, Sathya said. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths in 2021 were homicides, although unintentional shootings have killed many children. No matter how young the victims, pediatric gun-related deaths have left their mark on nearly every corner of the U.S.’
Gun deaths among children and teens in the U.S. reached a new record in 2021, study finds
U.S. children and teens are more likely to die because of guns than car crashes, drug overdoses and cancer.
www.nbcnews.com
Some will complain that responsible gun owners shouldn’t be burdened with efforts to address the problem of child gun deaths.
Others will claim that child gun deaths are indeed no different than children dying in car accidents or from disease and nothing can or should be done about it.
And still others will attempt to deflect from the problem with lies about guns being ‘banned’ and ‘confiscated.’
