“In 2021, firearms continued to be the leading cause of death among US children. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 41.6% increase in the firearm death rate,” the study said.
Firearm injuries became the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents in 2020, the study said, noting that deaths increased from 2020 to 2021 and disparities worsened as well.
Findings determined that a significant majority of firearm deaths, 84.8%, involved men, and that nearly half of all firearm deaths, 49.9%, occurred among Black Americans.
More than eight out of 10 firearm deaths involved people aged 15 to 19 years old, and almost two-thirds died by homicide, the study said. Black children accounted for 67.3% of firearm homicides.
White children accounted for 78.4% of firearm suicides, the study said. The suicide rate increased among Black and white children from 2020 to 2021, but decreased among American Indian and Alaskan Native children.
High poverty levels correlated with an increased firearm death rate across the US, the study added.
The findings demonstrate the urgent need for further surveillance of the firearm death epidemic and the implementation of strategies to prevent such fatalities among children at highest risk, the study said.
The study utilized US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality data based on death certificates filed in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The study was led by Dr. Chethan Sathya, director of Northwell Health’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention.