Story at a glance
- In 2020, guns were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 1 to 19.
- More than 4,300 children and adolescents died from firearms, as firearm homicides disproportionately affect young people in the U.S.
- The rate of firearm-related deaths for all types — suicide, homicide, unintentional and undetermined — among children and adolescents was at 29.5 percent.
For the first time in more than a decade, guns were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in 2020, with researchers noting firearm homicides disproportionately affect younger people in the U.S.
Researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published their results in a letter through the New England Journal of Medicine. They found more than 4,300 individuals ages 1 to 19 died across the U.S. as a result of firearms in 2020.
“The increasing rates of firearm mortality are a longer-term trend and demonstrate that we continue to fail to protect our youngest population from a preventable cause of death,” said Jason Goldstick, associate professor at Michigan Medicine, in a statement.
Previous analysis showed that through 2016, firearm-related injuries were second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. However, since 2016 that gap has narrowed, and within just four years firearm-related injuries surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death in that age group.
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From 2019 to 2020, the rate of firearm-related deaths for all types — suicide, homicide, unintentional and undetermined — among children and adolescents was at 29.5 percent, which is twice as high as the relative increase among the general population.
Researchers said more than 45,000 people across the U.S. died from firearms in 2020, regardless of age, which is more than a 13 percent increase compared to 2019. The change was attributed largely to an increase in firearm homicides, which saw a 33.4 percent increase from 2019 to 2020, while firearm suicides also increased by 1.1 percent.
“Firearm violence is one of the most critical challenges facing our society, and based on the latest federal data, this crisis is growing more and more intense,” said Cunningham, vice president for U-M research.
It’s also notable that the number of gun owners in the U.S. increased from 2019 to 2021, with one study finding an estimated 2.9 percent of U.S. adults, about 7.5 million, became new gun owners during those two years. They collectively exposed not only themselves but more than 11 million persons to household firearms, including more than 5 million children.
Medical experts at Harvard University have noted that children as young as 3-years-old may be strong enough to pull the trigger on a handgun and three out of four children living in a house with a gun know where the gun is — even if their parents think they don’t.
President Biden has attempted to crack down on the country’s pervasive gun violence crisis, announcing a ban on unlicensed kits to manufacture guns at home, known as ghost guns. The new rule bans “buy build shoot” kits that people can purchase online or at a physical store without a background check. It can be assembled in as little as 30 minutes.
“Anyone can order it in the mail, anyone,” said Biden. “Folks, a felon, a terrorist, a domestic abuser, can go from a gun kit to a gun in as little as 30 minutes.”
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