Gun Violence
The Impact of Gun Violence on American Children and Teenagers
Gun violence has a devastating impact on American children and teenagers.
Nearly 2,900 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed and nearly 15,600 are shot and injured every year — that’s an average of 51 American children and teens shot every day.1 And the effects of gun violence extend far beyond those struck by a bullet: gun violence shapes the lives of the millions of children who witness it, know someone who was shot, or live in fear of the next shooting.
Gun violence is now the second leading cause of death for American children.
This is a uniquely American problem. Compared to other high-income countries, American children aged 5 to 14 are 21 times more likely to be killed with guns; and American adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 are 23 times more likely to be killed with guns.
When American children and teens are killed with guns, 58 percent are homicides — about 1,700 per year.
For children under the age of 13, these gun homicides most frequently occur in the home and are often connected to domestic or family violence.
Another 36 percent of child and teen gun deaths are suicides—over 1,000 per year. When children under the age of 18 die by gun suicide, they are likely to have used a gun they found at home: over 80 percent of child gun suicides used a gun belonging to a parent or relative. For people of all ages, having access to a gun significantly increases the risk of death by suicide and homicide.
Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black children and teens, who are nearly four times more likely than white children and teens to be killed with guns. This is driven by a substantial disparity in gun homicide rates: Black children and teens are 14 times more likely than white children and teens of the same age to die by gun homicide. Firearms are the leading cause of death for Black children and teens.
An estimated 3 million American children witness gun violence every year.
Witnessing shootings can have a devastating impact. Children exposed to violence, crime, and abuse are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder; fail or have difficulties in school; and engage in criminal activity.
In America, children and teenagers are victimized by gun violence every single day. No child should experience this — not in their schools ,not in their homes, and not in their communities.
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