Firearm Deaths Among US Children Hit Record High in 2021, New Study Finds
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A new study published this week in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal concluded that gun deaths among children in the United States hit a record high of 4,752 in 2021.
Details: Analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study found that 80% of the recorded firearm deaths were males aged 19 or below. Gun-related homicides accounted for 63% of the deaths, gun-related suicides accounted for 30%, and gun-related unintentional injury accounted for 4%. The study noted sharp racial divides evident in the data, with black children accounting for 67% of gun-related homicides while white children accounted for 78% of gun-related suicides.
Key Quotes: The study states, “In 2021, firearms continued to be the leading cause of death among US children.” The researchers concluded, “Implementation of prevention strategies and policies among communities at highest risk is critical.”
How the Media Covered It: The study was covered moderately by left- and center-rated outlets and mostly ignored by right-rated outlets. Coverage across the spectrum honed in on the gun-related unintentional injury statistic, with many noting similar recent stories of toddlers dying by accidental gunfire. Reuters (Center bias) connected that data to school shootings and efforts for stricter gun control laws, despite mass shootings not being singled out in the study as a significant driver of the increase in gun-related child deaths. The Daily Mail (Right bias) did not include much information about the racial divide in deaths, while NBC News (Lean Left) featured it prominently.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Number of US children killed by guns hit record high in 2021, study shows
Child gun deaths in the United States have hit a record high, according to a new study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mortality database, the study published on Monday in the AAP's journal Pediatrics found that 4,752 children died from gun-related injuries in 2021, the latest year for which data was available, up from 4,368 in 2020 and 3,390 in 2019.
Gun violence has been the number one cause of death for children in the United States since 2020.
The...
From the Right
Number of children who died to guns reached 'unacceptable' record of 4,750 in 2021, data shows
Gun-related deaths in American children have reached a new record high, new data has shown.
Analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that guns were responsible for the deaths of 4,752 Americans aged zero to 19 in 2021, which surpassed the previous record of 4,368 in 2020.
It is the third year in a row there have been gun deaths in children now firmly ahead of motor vehicle traffic, suffocation, poisoning and drowning as leading causes of death.
Dr Chethan Sathya, a pediatric trauma surgeon at...
From the Left
Firearms killed a record number of children in 2021, study finds
Gun-related deaths among children in the U.S. reached a distressing peak in 2021, claiming 4,752 young lives and surpassing the record total seen during the first year of the pandemic, a new analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data found.
The alarming statistic clearly indicated that America’s gun violence epidemic has gotten worse, experts say.
More than 80% of the gun deaths were among males 19 and younger. Black male children were more likely to die from homicide. White males 19 and younger were more likely to kill...
AllSides Picks
May 19th, 2024
Discuss & Debate race and racism
Community Conversations for Election 2024
May 21 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET Living Room ConversationsMore News about Gun Control and Gun Rights from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
