Gun Violence: The Leading Cause of Child and Teen Deaths for the Third Year

[Social Media]

 

For the third consecutive year, gun violence was the leading cause of death for children and teenagers across the United States, according to a recent analysis by Johns Hopkins University. The study revealed that guns claimed the lives of 2,526 youths between the ages of 1 and 17 in 2022. On average, this grim statistic amounts to seven children being killed each day.

 

 

The burden of this violence is disproportionately borne by children of color, particularly Black teenagers. More than half of Black teens aged 15 to 17 who died in 2022 were killed by guns. Overall, Black children and teens faced a gun homicide rate that was 18 times higher than that of their white peers. Hispanic and Latino youths were also affected by gun violence, with suicide rates involving firearms significantly higher than among white children.

 

The data paints a troubling picture. Between 2013 and 2022, the youth gun violence rate doubled. In response, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions has called for comprehensive measures that include secure gun storage, stricter licensing requirements for private gun sellers, and the removal of firearms from individuals deemed at risk. The report also emphasized the importance of community investments and regulations concerning the public carrying of firearms. 

 

"The ongoing crisis of gun violence is preventable," researchers from Johns Hopkins stressed in their report. "We must address this crisis through a public health approach, pushing for equitable, evidence-based gun violence solutions."

 

Despite the alarming findings in the Johns Hopkins analysis, there has been little progress. Shortly after the 2022 data was published, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released statistics for 2023, showing only a slight decline in gun deaths—about three percent lower than the previous year. Even with this reduction, the number of gun-related deaths remained tragically high at 46,728, the third-highest ever recorded in the United States. For children and teens aged 1 to 17, gun-related fatalities remained the leading cause of death, with a slight increase to 2,566 deaths in 2023.

 

These numbers were published amid the aftermath of yet another school shooting in the U.S. Earlier this month, a tragic incident occurred in Georgia when 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly brought an assault-style rifle to school and killed two students and two teachers. Shockingly, the weapon, which his father Colin reportedly purchased as a Christmas gift, was a military-style AR rifle—one of the high-powered firearms used in some of the country’s deadliest mass shootings since 2012. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Georgia law does not set a minimum age for possessing a rifle, though federal law requires individuals to be 18 or older to purchase one. 

 

The devastating impact of gun violence on children and teens remains an urgent national crisis, with policymakers and experts calling for stronger preventive measures to protect the most vulnerable in society.

 

Credit: The Independent 2024-09-16

 

 

 

[ThaiFelix]

There is obviously a definite need for more weapons in the US.  Every child should be issued a gun at their first communion in order to defend themselves against others with guns.  God bless America!  The insanity of it all.

[loong]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

The burden of this violence is disproportionately borne by children of color, particularly Black teenagers. More than half of Black teens aged 15 to 17 who died in 2022 were killed by guns. Overall, Black children and teens faced a gun homicide rate that was 18 times higher than that of their white peers. Hispanic and Latino youths were also affected by gun violence, with suicide rates involving firearms significantly higher than among white children.

 

I don't know whether this is intended to indicate some sort of racism or not. It can only indicate racism if a high percentage of the killers were actually white people shooting black people because they were black.

[KhunLA]

Not sure you can blame the 'guns', same as you can't blame vehicles for the 'MVA deaths'.

 

Blame  the ....

... breakdown of the family

... drugs

... turf wars

... open borders, for the drugs mainly, and the drug cartel members running the streets

 

You could even bring all those military personal overseas home, that are playing corporate security, to patrol the border and give ICE a hand.   

 

Along with all the foreign aid that could be spent on citizens of the USA, instead of giving to countries that hate the USA.   Give the parents some assistance, and the kids some better options in life.

 

Simple solutions to simple problem that the elected are suppose to provide for their constituents, instead of lining their pockets with kickbacks and inside trading.   Just a thought, but hey, the ignorant sheeple keep reelected the same corrupt folks that have the best commercial.   Som nam naa

 

Products don't usually kill people, people kill people.

 

Taking guns away from legal owners, won't stop much of the deaths.  Enforcing current laws would help, just a wee bit.  Close the last few loopholes in a few states.

 

But most is up to people, raising their children properly and teaching them the value of life and how to be responsible citizens.

[bubblegum]

4 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Not sure you can blame the 'guns', same as you can't blame vehicles for the 'MVA deaths'.

 

Blame  the ....

... breakdown of the family

... drugs

... turf wars

... open borders, for the drugs mainly, and the drug cartel members running the streets

 

You could even bring all those military personal overseas home, that are playing corporate security, to patrol the border and give ICE a hand.   

 

Along with all the foreign aid that could be spent on citizens of the USA, instead of giving to countries that hate the USA.   Give the parents some assistance, and the kids some better options in life.

 

Simple solutions to simple problem that the elected are suppose to provide for their constituents, instead of lining their pockets with kickbacks and inside trading.   Just a thought, but hey, the ignorant sheeple keep reelected the same corrupt folks that have the best commercial.   Som nam naa

 

Products don't usually kill people, people kill people.

 

Taking guns away from legal owners, won't stop much of the deaths.  Enforcing current laws would help, just a wee bit.  Close the last few loopholes in a few states.

 

But most is up to people, raising their children properly and teaching them the value of life and how to be responsible citizens.

Funny how taking guns away works all over the world but according to some, not in the USA. They say it's a mental health issue. Well poor people of the US half of you are already seeing a shrink now the other half must as well. 

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, loong said:

 

I don't know whether this is intended to indicate some sort of racism or not. It can only indicate racism if a high percentage of the killers were actually white people shooting black people because they were black.

 

I'm sure if it were white people killing black people you would have been hearing about it for some time now.

 

It's well known that most black people that are killed in America are killed by other black people. 

 

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/black-black-homicide-psychological-political-perspective

 

 

As the UK shows, when you remove guns other weapons are used. Hence the knife crime epidemic in London under Sadiq Khan. 

 

https://www.cityam.com/londons-global-reputation-is-at-risk-from-soaring-knife-crime-its-time-to-act/

 

 

I would suggest harsher sentences for carrying weapons. You could make space in the prisons by releasing people jailed for social media posts. 

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

Funny how taking guns away works all over the world but according to some, not in the USA. They say it's a mental health issue. Well poor people of the US half of you are already seeing a shrink now the other half must as well. 

The rest of the world is irrelevant to the USA.  Completely different culture, and issues.

 

UK for example, has 147+k firearm certificates on issue as at 31 March 2023

AU has <900k firearm licenses issued

 

Texas, USA, alone, has issued more than 1 million hunting permit, etc, 

 

 

My home state of PA issues more 500k hunting licenses a year.  There are 50 states in the USA.   Do the math.

[MalcolmB]

Guns don’t kill people.

 

Americans with guns kill people. 
 

At home the numbers are high, but the figures are much higher in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Iraq etc 

 
it is their “right” apparently.

 

Nuked quite a few in Japan and the Marshall Islands also. 
 

But like to promote that China is a great threat. 
 

Crazy people.

 

 

 

[Gsxrnz]

UK , Canada, NZ, Aussie or USA - I know where I'd rather be when the government goes full on tyrannical. 

[bubblegum]

17 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

The rest of the world is irrelevant to the USA.  Completely different culture, and issues.

Sure

[Purdey]

Gun ownership is a right. 

The constitution says nothing about bullets.

Make the bullets $5,000 each. 

You're welcome. 

🫡