Burden Of Gun Violence Falls On Kids

 

When young people die, it is usually unexpected and by accident. Injuries suffered during motor vehicle crashes used to be the number one cause of death in people 1-24 years old until 2017, when firearm fatalities took the lead. Lois K. Lee, M.D. and colleagues explain why:

This change occurred because of both the rising number of firearm-related deaths in this age group and the nearly continuous reduction in deaths from motor vehicle crashes. The crossing of these trend lines demonstrates how a concerted approach to injury prevention can reduce injuries and deaths — and, conversely, how a public health problem can be exacerbated in the absence of such attention.

 

In children 18 and under, the two lines crossed in 2020, observes Annette Choi:

Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020.

Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database. Nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents that year. That’s about five children lost for every 100,000 children in the United States. In no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children […]

 

Things have gotten worse for kids during the pandemic, says Rose Weldon:

Research has shown that firearm acquisition has increased during the pandemic, and the AAP this week said guns should be regulated like motor vehicles to mitigate the nation’s leading cause of death for people aged 0 to 24 years.

The researchers also found that pediatric firearm injuries increased during the COVID-19 pandemic among patients with mental illness, when the shooter was known friend, when the injuries occurred at home, and when a firearm was left unlocked.

 

Another study from last year suggests troubled teenagers aren’t shy about taking guns with them when they leave the home:

The researchers found that one in 15 boys and one in 50 girls reported gun carrying during the past 12 months. Youths with violence-related experience, suicidal ideation or attempts, or substance use were significantly more likely to carry guns […]

“The higher prevalence of gun carrying among those who have experienced suicidal ideation or attempts or other forms of violence highlights the potential for lethal consequences if firearms are used against oneself or others,” the authors write. “The association between youth gun carrying and substance use further suggests an increased risk for impaired, impulsive, situational, or escalating actions.”

 

The AAP explains how pediatricians and young doctors-in-training are being affected by gun injuries:

One in seven pediatricians reported treating a gun injury in the past year, according to a 2019 AAP Periodic Survey. In addition, 57% of pediatricians reported that gun violence was a problem in their practice community, and 62% reported that youth violence was a problem.

The 2018 AAP Annual Survey of Graduating Residents showed that 69% of residents had direct experience during training of caring for youths who had been injured by guns.

 

Gun violence — self inflicted, accidental, or perpetrated on others (mass shootings, if you haven’t noticed, continue to surge in the U.S. but nowhere else) — affects all of us. It is an ugly, festering crisis in our historically violent culture that must be fixed, and sooner rather than later.

There is no shortage of good ideas from smart, compassionate, law-abiding and patriotic Americans that can help solve this national epidemic of gun violence. What’s missing is the political will to put good plans in place, to protect everyone from gun violence, and to (finally) place children’s needs first.

Addressing Americans’ mental health (which, come to think of it, might be worse than our deteriorating physical health), can be a positive intervention for reducing violence. As we continue to observe National Public Health Week, we will examine mental health tomorrow on The PediaBlog.

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/04/05/burden-of-gun-violence-falls-on-kids/