Gun deaths among children in the US on the rise
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A publication by the Pew Research Center shows a 50% increase in gunfire death among children in the last two years.
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A display of assault rifles at Blue Ridge Arsenal gun store in Chantilly, Virginia, US, 6 October 2017 (AFP)
The number of US children and teens killed by gunfire witnessed a drastic increase between 2019 and 2021, a publication by Pew Research Center revealed.
The number of children and teens killed rose by 50% in a two-year period, and more children were killed in 2021 than in any year since 1999.
While suicide was ruled as the main reason among adult gunfire deaths, accounting for 55% of the incidents, homicide was the largest category for the deaths among those under 18 years old, accounting for 60% of gunfire deaths.
2022 marked the most violent year in schools, with 46 shootings reported, The Washington Post revealed. The most recent shooting took four lives at the Covenant School in Nashville two weeks ago.
Moreover, some racial disparities were reflected as Black children are 5 times more likely to be victims of gun violence than white children. 11.8 deaths were recorded per every 100,000 Black children in the US, while only 2.3 gun deaths per 100,000 were recorded among the white population.
The rise in gun deaths among children and teens is part of a broader recent increase in firearm deaths among Americans overall. In 2021, there were 48,830 gun deaths among Americans of all ages – by far the highest yearly total on record and up 23% from the 39,707 recorded in 2019, before the pandemic.
Despite the bleak warnings accompanied by the many mass shootings, the #US is still plunged in the #gunviolence epidemic, and it doesn't seem that it will stop any time soon. pic.twitter.com/8VSQMpWGOd
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 22, 2023
The Gun Violence Archive has recorded 144 mass shootings in 2023 so far.
The high number of deaths in young adults and children due to shootings has cut off 3 years from the aggregate life expectancy in the US between 2019 and 2021.
In comparison, Australia and the UK, which have stricter gun laws, have a life expectancy of 83 and 80 respectively.
55% of US parents said they were somewhat or extremely worried about their kids getting shot.
Gun control has been heavily debated within US politics in recent years after thousands of lives were claimed by gunfire.
However, it is still unclear if any real legislative measures will be taken to protect children and the US population on a broader level.
Read more: Three killed including a child in Orlando shooting: US
