Gun deaths continue to be leading cause of death among kids in US: Study

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Firearms continued to be the leading cause of death among children in the US, reaching a new record high in 2021, according to a recent study on Monday.

Published in the journal Pediatrics, the study examined the latest 2021 data on pediatric firearm deaths in the country, revealing a total of 4,752 such deaths in 2021. The figure marks an 8.8% increase from the previous year.

The study further revealed a staggering 41.6% surge in the firearm death rate from 2018 to 2021.

Among the key findings, the study emphasized that 84.8% of the children who died due to gun-related incidents in 2021 were male. Additionally, 49.9% of these children were Black, and a significant majority, 82.6%, fell within the age group of 15 to 19 years.

"With the unexpected sharp uptick of pediatric firearm deaths noted in 2020, rates did not return to prepandemic levels in 2021, but rather continued to increase and surpassed initial pandemic levels," researchers wrote.

An analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data also found that gun-related deaths among children in the US reached a record high.