Violence among teens has led to a spike in gun deaths, contrary to popular belief: expert

The impact Gun deaths in children According to an expert, 2019-2021’s crime rate was driven by older teens, likely related to the closure of school learning during the pandemic, and follows the rapid crime trend seen in the US in 2020.

The number of children under the age of 18 killed by gunfire increased by 50% from 2019 to 2021, Pew Research found, citing mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data showed that in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 1,732 gun deaths among children before the number rose to 2,590 in 2021.

The Pew study found that older children and adolescents were more likely to be killed in a shooting than younger children and found that “86% of all gun deaths among children and adolescents in 2021 occurred in the 12- to 17-year-old age group “.

Amy Swearer, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that the CDC data shows that the increase in deaths is mostly due to older teens, particularly among 14- to 18-year-olds.

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“Looking closely at the CDC data, it’s clear that this increase isn’t due to the fact that more young children in general are taking up arms and accidentally shooting someone, which has been a big talking point among gun control advocates concerned about increasing gun sales during the pandemic,” Swearer told Fox News Digital.

“And while there is a slight and worrying increase in gun-related suicides among youth between 2019 and 2021, it is also clear that this is nowhere near the most important factor in the rising number of gun-related deaths among youth,” she added. “Instead, this is a problem largely due to a sharp rise in gun homicides among older teenagers, particularly those aged 14 to 18.”

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Swearer pointed to CDC data showing that there were 180 extra deaths among 17-year-olds in 2021 compared to 2019, while there were 150 extra deaths among 16-year-olds over the same period and 100 extra deaths among under-15s -year-olds. There were 200 more deaths among 18-year-olds in 2021 compared to 2019.

In 2020, as the government imposed lockdowns, violence increased across the country due to the pandemic Everyday life was turned upside down and protests and riots following the death of George Floyd spread across the country. According to FBI data, 2020 homicides rose nearly 30% year-over-year across the board, marking the largest increase in homicides in a single year since the agency began prosecuting the crimes.

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Swearer said the rise in child gun deaths is “obviously” related to the rise in violent homicides in 2020, but additional lockdowns and their aftermath also likely played a role.

“There is also good reason to believe that at least one other factor contributing to the particularly horrific rise in teenage homicides is the sharp rise in older teenagers committing more crimes during this period – a rise that is directly appears to coincide with spikes in homicides chronic absenteeism from schoolan issue that many school districts across the country continue to grapple with even after the return to face-to-face classes post-pandemic,” she said.

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According to the group Attendance Works, which tracks absenteeism, before the pandemic, about 8 million students were considered chronic absenteeism, which is defined as students missing 10% or more of school time each year. According to the same group, that number has doubled to 16 million students in 2021-22.

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Swearer explained that people who engage in criminal activities are “far, far more likely to become victims of gun violence themselves.” This is due to “targeted retaliation, or being more likely to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or legal interference by police officers or armed civilians.”

Swearer pointed to a handful of news stories from this year and last that showed teenagers across the country being injured or killed by gunfire while allegedly attempting to commit crimes.

In Houston, for example, this month a 14-year-old was shot in the stomach by a homeowner after the teenager allegedly tried to break into a car. Another article showed how Break-in by two teenagers Suspects were shot and killed by a homeowner in Colorado last October. Another article revealed that a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy ended up in hospital with gunshot wounds after they allegedly stole a woman’s car in St. Louis last November.

“​​I think in some of these stories, the gun owner probably didn’t act very carefully or wisely,” she said. “But when you start stealing cars or breaking into houses, the risk increases.” “Getting shot (whether justified or not) increases exponentially.”

The Pew study found that homicides accounted for the majority of child gun deaths at 60%, while suicide accounted for 32% of those deaths. According to the study, accidents accounted for 5% of gun deaths among children.

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Also, boys were far more likely to die from firearms than girls, accounting for 83% of deaths in 2021, compared to 17% for girls. Broken down by race in 2021, 46% of all children and youth killed by guns were Black children and youth, with the majority of cases being homicides, while White children accounted for 32%, Hispanic children for 17% and Asian children for 1% .