A new study published on Monday found that firearm deaths among children in the United States hit a new record in 2021, increasing nearly 9% compared to 2020.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics and used government data to show the growing trend of firearm-related deaths in the U.S.
In total, there were 4,752 pediatric firearm deaths in 2021, a rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people, according to the study. This was an increase of 8.8% compared to the year prior.
The increase follows a concerning trend, as guns became the leading cause of death among children for the first time in 2020, according to the CDC.
From 2018 to 2021, the number of children to lose their lives by firearms rose by 41.5%, something researchers say was only exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Spikes in firearm purchasing during the pandemic were substantial, resulting in roughly 30 million children living in households with firearms, a known risk factor for pediatric firearm injury,” researchers wrote.
However, firearm-related deaths were not equally distributed among all demographics, as the study showed children in communities of color have been “disproportionately affected.”
In total, nearly 50% of children who were killed by firearms in 2021 were Black. The study also highlighted that Black children accounted for the largest increase in death rate from 2020 to 2021.
Boys were also more likely to die as a result of firearms than girls, as the study shared that 85% of pediatric firearm deaths in 2021 were male.
As for age, 83% of the deaths were among adolescents ages 15 to 19, an increase of 5.2% from 2020, the study shared.
When looking at the types of deaths, Black children accounted for 67.3% of firearm homicides, an increase of 1.8% year-over-year. For firearm suicides, White children accounted for 78.4% of the total deaths.
“With respect to firearm homicides, in 2021, the death rate was 11 times higher for Black children compared with White children ... representing the largest disparity gap in the 4 years of this study,” according to the study.
When it comes to addressing the situation, the authors shared that “implementation of prevention strategies and policies among communities at highest risk is critical.”
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