For the third straight year, firearms have emerged as the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States, with most deaths attributed to homicides, a new report indicates.

The report, published on Thursday by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, examined the latest statistics on gun violence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and revealed that over 48,000 individuals nationwide died from gun violence in 2022. This figure includes more than 2,500 fatalities among children and teens aged one to 17.

“Gun death rates for this age group have surged by 106 percent since 2013, making it the leading cause of death since 2020,” stated the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions in a news release.

The report emphasizes the alarming rise in gun violence in recent years, particularly among young people. Health officials, including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, have labeled gun violence as a “public health crisis” and the primary cause of premature death for Americans.

The advisory on gun violence issued by Murthy in June noted that firearm-related death rates reached a near-30-year high in 2021. The CDC recorded 48,830 gun-related deaths in the U.S. that year.

The second-highest number of gun deaths was reported for 2022, with 48,204 fatalities resulting from gun-related injuries. Among these deaths, over 27,000 were suicides, representing a record high for the country.

The grim statistics indicate that “worrying trends” continue among vulnerable demographic groups, highlighting increasing disparities in gun deaths among various racial and ethnic communities, particularly Black and Latino youth, according to the report.

Gun fatalities hit Black youth hardest

Even though the overall gun violence rate dropped in 2022 after peaking in 2021 due to the social unrest caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, firearms continued to be the top cause of death among children and teens.

“From 2013 to 2022, gun death rates for children and teens (ages 1–17) doubled,” the report stated. “In 2022, nearly three times as many teenagers (ages 10–17) died by gun homicide compared to 2013, rising from 541 deaths in 2013 to 1,486 in 2022.”

Gun-related fatalities in this age group surpassed deaths caused by car accidents, drug overdoses, and cancer. The report highlighted that, on average, seven young people lose their lives daily due to gun violence, with firearms responsible for 30% of deaths among older teens aged 15 to 17.

The report also shed light on the disproportionate effects of gun violence on children and teens from diverse backgrounds:

• In 2022, the gun homicide rate for Black youth aged one to 17 was 18 times greater than that of white youth, while the rate for Hispanic/Latino children and teens was over three times higher than white youth.
• Gun suicide rates have risen over the past decade, tripling among Black youth aged 10 to 17 and more than doubling for Hispanic/Latino youth in the same age range.
• In 2022, guns were responsible for 55% of deaths among older Black teens aged 15 to 17.
• In all age categories, American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals were five times more likely to die by gun homicide compared to white individuals in the same group.

Increase in gun violence incidents in U.S. schools

As of 2024, the U.S. has experienced 389 mass shootings, based on data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as incidents involving four or more victims. This year alone, there have been 28 school shootings that led to injuries or fatalities, according to data from Education Week, a news organization focused on K-12 education.

A recent study by Everytown for Gun Safety revealed a 31% rise in school shootings during the last academic year compared to the previous year. Following the 2021-2022 school year, which was marked by the highest number of gun violence incidents on school grounds, Everytown recorded at least 144 incidents of gun violence during the current 2023-24 academic year.

“Nearly four out of ten individuals shot in these school incidents were students,” noted Everytown in the study.

What actions can the US take to combat gun violence?

The report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions proposed various policy changes to tackle the gun violence crisis affecting youth. Recommendations included enhancing and implementing Child Access Prevention laws.

“Over half of all gun owners in the U.S. do not ensure safe firearm storage,” the report emphasized. “Currently, 4.6 million minors reside in homes with at least one gun that is loaded and unlocked, which raises the risk of gun violence among children and teens.”

Additional suggestions included firearm licensing laws, mandatory background checks, safety training, removing firearms from potentially violent individuals, and community.

Programs aimed at intervening in violence, setting regulations on public firearm carrying, and abolishing stand-your-ground laws are being discussed.

“Studies show that these strategies can significantly lower the incidence of gun violence, especially among youth who are most at risk,” Cassandra Crifasi, a co-author of the report and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, stated.

Contributors: Kayla Jimenez, YSL News