Firearms have become the leading cause of death for children and teenagers aged 1-17 in the United States, surpassing all other injuries and illnesses in 2020 and 2021. This alarming statistic underscores a severe and escalating crisis of gun violence affecting young people in America. The rate of child firearm mortality in the U.S. has tragically doubled from a low of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2013 to 3.7 in 2021, revealing a disturbing trend that demands urgent attention and action.
The Unparalleled Crisis: US Child Firearm Mortality Rates
The data reveals a stark and unsettling reality: the United States stands alone with an exceptionally high rate of child and teen firearm mortality compared to other developed nations. In fact, among similarly large and wealthy countries, firearms are not even among the top four causes of death for young people, let alone the number one cause, as is tragically the case in the U.S. This comparison highlights a profound disparity, indicating a uniquely American problem with gun violence affecting its youngest population.
In 2021, a staggering 2,571 children in the US died due to firearms. This translates to a rate of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 children, marking a 68% increase in the number of deaths since 2000 and a shocking 107% increase since the recent low in 2013. This dramatic surge underscores the escalating nature of the crisis and the urgent need to understand and address its root causes.
While firearm deaths among children have risen sharply, it’s important to note the contrasting trend in motor vehicle deaths. Once the leading cause of child mortality, motor vehicle deaths have significantly decreased. In 2021, they were 49% lower than in 2000, despite a pandemic-related increase of 22% from 2019. This decline in motor vehicle deaths, attributed to safety regulations and advancements, further emphasizes the exceptional and preventable nature of firearm deaths among US children. However, deaths from poisonings, including drug overdoses, have also increased, highlighting other emerging threats to child safety.
Provisional data from the CDC for 2022 sadly indicates that firearms remained the number one cause of death for children for the third consecutive year, reinforcing the persistent and deepening nature of this public health crisis.
US vs. Peer Nations: A Devastating Comparison of Child Gun Violence
To provide a clear and direct comparison, firearm mortality data for teenagers aged 18 and 19 are grouped with data for children aged 1-17 in all countries. This adjusted comparison reveals an even more disturbing picture of gun violence in the US.
On a per capita basis, the firearm death rate among children and teens (ages 1-19) in the U.S. is over 9.5 times higher than that of Canadian children and teens (ages 1-19). Canada, which has the second-highest child and teen firearm death rate among peer nations, pales in comparison to the magnitude of the issue in the United States. This vast difference underscores the exceptional severity of gun violence affecting young people in America compared to even its closest peer.
Teenagers naturally experience higher firearm mortality rates than younger children. In the U.S., the firearm mortality rate for 18- and 19-year-olds is 25.2 per 100,000, significantly higher than the 3.7 per 100,000 for children aged 1-17. However, even when focusing solely on children (ages 1-17), the US firearm mortality rate remains 5.5 times higher than the child and teen mortality rate in Canada (ages 1-19). This stark contrast emphasizes that even younger children in the US are at a disproportionately higher risk of firearm death compared to their counterparts in peer nations.
The Preventable Tragedy: Lives Lost to Gun Violence
The consequences of this disparity are devastating and quantifiable. If the child and teen firearm mortality rate in the U.S. were reduced to the levels seen in Canada, an estimated 30,000 young lives in the U.S. could have been saved since 2010 – an average of approximately 2,500 lives per year. This reduction would have decreased the total number of child and teenage deaths from all causes in the U.S. by a significant 13%. This stark figure underscores the preventable nature of much of this tragedy and the immense potential for positive change.
State-Level Disparities and the Impact of Gun Laws
Within the U.S., the child and teen (ages 1-19 years) firearm mortality rate varies considerably by state, ranging from 2.1 deaths per 100,000 in states like New York and New Jersey to a high of 17.6 deaths per 100,000 in Louisiana. Even in states with the lowest rates, which often have stricter gun control measures, the firearm mortality rate for children and teens remains over three times higher than that in Canada. This highlights that while state-level gun laws can make a difference, even the most stringent measures within the US still fall short of the safety experienced in peer countries.
The correlation between the strength of state firearm laws and child firearm mortality is evident. States with more restrictive firearm laws generally experience fewer child and teen firearm deaths compared to states with fewer gun law provisions. However, it’s crucial to reiterate that even these states with stricter laws still have significantly higher rates than Canada and other comparable countries. This suggests that a comprehensive, national approach to gun violence prevention, similar to that seen in Canada, may be necessary to truly address this crisis. The ease with which guns can be transported across state lines and obtained from unregistered sources in the U.S. further complicates state-level efforts.
Firearms as a Leading Cause: A Unique American Phenomenon
In 2020 and 2021, firearms surpassed all other causes of injury and illness to become the leading contributor to death for children and teens (ages 1-19 years) in the United States. In 2021 alone, firearms were involved in 4,733 child and teen deaths.
With the notable exception of Canada, firearms are not among the top five causes of childhood and teenage death in any other peer country. Instead, motor vehicle accidents and cancer remain the most common causes of death for this age group in comparable nations. This divergence further emphasizes the unique and deeply concerning nature of gun violence as a cause of child mortality in the United States.
America’s Disproportionate Share of Child Firearm Deaths
When considering all child and teen firearm deaths in the U.S. combined with those in other OECD countries with above-median GDP and GDP per capita, the scale of the American crisis becomes even more pronounced. The U.S., despite representing 46% of the total population in these countries, accounts for a staggering 97% of gun-related child and teen deaths. Collectively, the eleven other similarly large and wealthy countries account for a mere 153 of the total 4,886 firearm deaths for children and teens ages 1-19 years in these nations, with the U.S. accounting for the overwhelming majority.
Firearms account for 20% of all child and teen deaths in the U.S., compared to an average of less than 2% of child and teen deaths in similarly large and wealthy nations. This tenfold difference underscores the exceptional and tragic impact of gun violence on young people in America.
Breakdown of Firearm Deaths: Suicide, Assault, and Unintentional
The U.S. not only has the highest overall rate of child and teen firearm mortality but also the highest rate of each specific type of firearm death – suicides, assaults, and unintentional or undetermined intent – among similarly large and wealthy countries.
In 2021 in the U.S., the overall child and teen firearm assault rate was 3.9 per 100,000, while the suicide rate was 3.8 per 100,000, with 1.8 of those suicides being firearm-related. In comparison, comparable countries have an average overall suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 children and teens, but only 0.2 per 100,000 child and teen suicide deaths are by firearms. This indicates that firearms play a disproportionately large role in child and teen suicides in the US compared to peer nations.
If the U.S. child and teen suicide by firearm rate were brought down to the same level as in Canada, the peer country with the next highest rate, over 1,000 fewer young lives would have been lost in 2021 alone.
The spike in child and teen firearm deaths in 2020 and 2021 in the U.S. was largely driven by a surge in violent assault deaths. The child and teen firearm assault mortality rate reached a high of 3.9 per 100,000 in 2021, a 7% increase from the previous year and a dramatic 50% increase from 2019. The firearm suicide mortality rate among children and teenagers in the U.S. also increased by 21% from 2019 to 2021, further contributing to the overall crisis.
The Mental Health Toll of Gun Violence
Beyond the immediate tragedy of death, exposure to and use of firearms have significant and lasting implications for mental health, particularly for young people. Research indicates that youth exposed to gun violence may develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Survivors of firearm-related injuries, including young survivors, face an increased risk of mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
Gun violence disproportionately affects children of color, especially Black children, and children living in areas with high poverty concentrations, exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities and creating cycles of trauma and violence.
Conclusion: Addressing the Urgent Crisis of Child Gun Violence in the US
The data unequivocally demonstrates that the United States faces a unique and severe crisis of child and teen firearm mortality. Compared to peer nations, the US rate is exponentially higher, and firearms have become the leading cause of death for young people, a situation unparalleled in other developed countries. This crisis demands urgent and comprehensive action to protect America’s children and ensure their safety and well-being. Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach, potentially including evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies, mental health support, and addressing socioeconomic disparities that contribute to violence.
Methods:
Data from CDC Wonder 2021 Underlying Cause of Death database and IHME Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study (Level 2 Causes of Death) were utilized. CDC Wonder Underlying Cause of Death grouped by Injury Mechanism and All Other Leading Causes data are used for the U.S., and IHME GBD data are used for other countries. Mortality rates for comparable countries were calculated using population estimates from United Nations (UN) Population Prospects data. Mortality rates for the U.S. were taken from CDC Wonder.
