Child gun deaths on the rise in US, linked to lax firearm laws
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Over 7,000 children have died from gunshot wounds in the US since 2010, with most deaths in states with loose firearm laws.
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A picture of various guns atop the flag of the United States of America in this undated photo (AP)
The number of child gun deaths in the US has surpassed 7,000 since 2010, with the highest toll in states that maintain permissive firearm laws, according to a new study published in the US medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.
The study, which examined trends from 2011 to 2023, found that a group of states with the loosest firearm regulations accounted for more than 6,000 of those deaths.
An additional 1,424 “excess firearm deaths” were identified in the same group of states, suggesting that lax gun laws played a significant role in the surge in fatalities among children and adolescents aged 0 to 17.
In contrast, states with the most stringent gun laws, such as New York, California, Maryland, and Rhode Island, have recorded a decline in gun violence among minors over the same period. The findings highlight stark disparities in outcomes based on differing legislative approaches to firearms.
The JAMA Pediatrics report reinforces concerns over how US firearm laws and children’s safety intersect, concluding that weak legal frameworks have contributed to thousands of preventable deaths. The authors argue that strengthening firearm restrictions is a critical step in reversing the trend of child gun deaths in the US.
In this multicenter, national study of children with firearm injury, violent reinjury within 1 year of an index injury was associated with living in neighborhoods with the lowest Child Opportunity Index decile. https://t.co/7qixxTddW9
— JAMA Pediatrics (@JAMAPediatrics) May 18, 2025
In a related news from the Associated Press (AP), sixteen US states have filed a federal lawsuit to block the return of forced‑reset triggers on semiautomatic rifles, devices that allow guns to fire more rapidly, nearly like automatic weapons.
The lawsuit alleges that reinstating these triggers violates federal law, threatens public safety, and risks further fueling gun violence nationwide. These states argue that relaxing federal restrictions on firearm components will exacerbate gun-related injuries and deaths, including among children.
Gun violence as public health crisis
Last year in June, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis, citing the rapid rise in firearm injuries and deaths across the country.
According to the AP, Murthy emphasized that children in the US are far more likely to die from gun wounds than those in other developed nations, urging lawmakers to implement measures such as bans on assault weapons, universal background checks, safe storage laws, and restrictions on large-capacity magazines.
At the time, he urged shifting the conversation from politics to public health, comparing the approach to successful anti-smoking campaigns. The surgeon general noted that more than 48,000 Americans died from gun injuries in 2022, while advocating for federal action to curb youth gun violence.
