- Oct 9, 2004
- 9,206
- 6,799
- 136
So says CDC data. More than 4,300 children 19 or younger died of gunshots in 2020 (the newest available data), while roughly 3,900 died from crashes.
The potential reasons are somewhat complex. The BBC pointed out a surge in gun adoption during the pandemic, so children might simply have more access to firearms and thus more chances for accidents or violence. At the same time, car safety has been improving over time and may have finally reduced deaths to a symbolic tipping point. It'll be difficult to get a complete answer as Republicans have blocked CDC attempts to directly study gun violence.
However, this could finally silence a red herring that hardcore gun advocates frequently the use: the "but more kids died from..." argument. Sorry, folks, but you can't try to avoid dealing with the problem by pointing to another form of tragedy. If you think body count alone should dictate priorities (it shouldn't), you have to deal with minors' access to guns now.
Not that this will stop firearm diehards from finding other excuses to avoid addressing the problem, but it will be fun to watch them twist themselves into logical pretzels in the process.
Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States | NEJM
Correspondence from The New England Journal of Medicine — Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States
www.nejm.org
The potential reasons are somewhat complex. The BBC pointed out a surge in gun adoption during the pandemic, so children might simply have more access to firearms and thus more chances for accidents or violence. At the same time, car safety has been improving over time and may have finally reduced deaths to a symbolic tipping point. It'll be difficult to get a complete answer as Republicans have blocked CDC attempts to directly study gun violence.
However, this could finally silence a red herring that hardcore gun advocates frequently the use: the "but more kids died from..." argument. Sorry, folks, but you can't try to avoid dealing with the problem by pointing to another form of tragedy. If you think body count alone should dictate priorities (it shouldn't), you have to deal with minors' access to guns now.
Not that this will stop firearm diehards from finding other excuses to avoid addressing the problem, but it will be fun to watch them twist themselves into logical pretzels in the process.