For the first time in US history, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death among children in 2020, surpassing automobile accidents. Firearm-related deaths have been increasing in children since 2013 but rose markedly after 2019. The Pew Research Center reported a 50 percent increase in total firearm-related deaths in children under the age of 18 between 2019 and 2021. The majority of these (60 percent) were homicides, followed by suicides (32 percent) and accidents (5 percent). In contrast, among adult victims of firearm-related deaths in 2021, the majority (55 percent) were suicides.
The United States stands alone among its peers in regard to firearm deaths in children. An analysis
by the Kaiser Family Foundation comparing firearm-involved death rates
in children in the US to those in peer countries found that the US had 7
times the rate of Canada, the second-highest country. Moreover, the US
is the only country among comparable nations where youth firearm deaths
have increased since 2000.
-- Emma Arceneaux, "Child mortality rises sharply in the United States" (WSWS).
