Washington, Jan. 2 - For the first time in decades, firearm injuries have surpassed automobile accidents to become the leading cause of death among children and adolescents aged one to 17 in the United States.
These data have appeared in press reports assessing certain indicators such as violence in American society. According to many critics, firearm injuries should not be a cause of death in the child population, and they point out that such tragedies are preventable with effective gun control laws.
Studies published in JAMA Pediatrics confirm that thousands of minors have lost their lives due to gunshot wounds in recent years, especially in states where gun laws have been relaxed.
According to public health organizations, the risks are associated with an increase in the availability and carrying of firearms; changes in state policies that have reduced restrictions; an increase in homicides and suicides involving guns among young people; and the persistence of unsafe storage practices in homes with guns.
For experts, beyond the numbers, the phenomenon reflects a deep public health problem.
In June 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy made a historic announcement declaring gun violence a public health crisis in the nation.
Murthy warned that armed violence represents a “serious threat to the health and well-being of our country,” which not only carries severe physical costs but also mental ones. This was the first time the government’s top public health agency focused on the issue of guns.
“As a doctor, I have seen firsthand the consequences of gun violence in the lives of patients I have treated over the years,” he said. “These are moms and dads, sons and daughters, all of whom had their physical and mental health stolen through senseless acts of violence,” Murthy said in a video posted Tuesday on his account on the social media platform X.
While assessing the phenomenon’s behavior, he warned that perhaps the most disturbing aspect is the effect of armed violence on children: since 2020, it has been the number one cause of death among children and adolescents, surpassing automobile accidents, drug overdoses, or cancer, he emphasized.
The National Rifle Association, an organization that defends citizens’ right to bear arms, opposed this declaration. At that time, Randy Kozuch, the executive director of the group’s Legislative Action Institute, its lobbying arm, blamed the then-current White House administration for the problems.
“This is an extension of the (Joe) Biden Administration’s war on law-abiding gun owners,” he said in a statement on the internet platform.
(Taken from Prensa Latina)
