Increase in children dying from guns compounded by growing disparities

A record number of children in the U.S. died from a firearm injury in 2020, making it the leading cause of death. The next year was worse, as noted in the study, “Trends and Disparities in Firearm Deaths among Children.”

From 2018-21, there was a spike of nearly 42 percent in the rate of children killed by guns. The 4,752 pediatric firearm deaths in 2021 translated to a rate of 5.8 per 100,000 persons, representing an 8.8 percent increase in the 2020 rate.

Of the 2021 pediatric firearm deaths, 64.3 percent were homicides, 29.9 percent were suicides and 3.5 percent resulted from unintentional injury.

Adding to this grim reality are the disparities in pediatric firearm deaths that have widened significantly, according to the new study found in the September 2023 issue of Pediatrics (published online Aug. 21). In 2021, this was the breakdown of children killed in shootings: 84.8 percent were male, 49.9 percent were Black, 82.6 percent were aged 15-19 years-old and 64.3 percent died by homicide.

Black children accounted for 67.3 percent of firearm homicides. White children accounted for 78.4 percent of firearm suicides. From 2020-21, the suicide rate increased among Black and white children yet decreased among American Indian or Alaskan Native children.

Geographically, there were worsening clusters of firearm death rates in Southern states and increasing rates in Midwestern states from 2018-2021. Across the U.S., higher poverty levels correlated with higher gun-related deaths.

More strategies that address the root causes of deadly shootings involving children and the subsequent implementation are recommended to curb these figures.