Guns were the leading cause of death among young Americans, prior to traffic accidents, according to a recent study by health authorities showing a sharp increase in homicides by guns in the United States, such as a hunt at a school in Texas. 19 students on Tuesday.
By 2020, 4,368 children and adolescents up to age 19 will die from gun injuries, a rate of 5.4 per 100,000 of that population, according to a table released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disease Prevention (CDC).
Homicides make up nearly two-thirds of these deaths.
In comparison, 4036 deaths were attributed to road accidents in this age category.
The gap has gradually narrowed with the decline in traffic accidents due to measures to improve road safety over the years, while gun deaths have increased.
The two curves crossed in 2020, the date of the latest statistics available, and the results were reviewed in a letter to New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) last week.
According to the authors of this letter, the new data coincide with other studies on the increase in gun violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons for this increase are varied, but it cannot be assumed to return to pre-pandemic levelsthey write.
The table of CDC shows that nearly 30% of deaths are suicides, more than 3% accidental deaths, and the causes are unidentified for 2% of cases. A small number of them are categorized legal interventionthat is, deaths that occurred during contact with law enforcement.
Blacks and natives are the most affected
African American youth are disproportionately victimized by guns, with four times the risk of being shot dead, compared to white youth, where traffic accidents pose a greater threat.
The second most affected group are the Aboriginals.
Men are also six times more likely to die from a gun than women.
Geographically, the gun death rate is highest in the U.S. capital Washington, followed by Louisiana and Alaska.
These numbers underscore that while large-scale shootings like the one that occurred in Uvalde, Texas cause public apprehension, they represent only a small fraction of youth gun deaths.
Source: Radio-Canada
