Number of American kids killed by guns hit record high in 2021: Study
Gun deaths related to children in the United States have reached a new high, a recent study revealed on Monday, signaling the surging gun violence across the country.
The report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found that more children had died from gun-related injuries in 2021, in contrast to previous years.
By using the stats provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mortality database, the study found that gun deaths of American children rose from 3,390 in 2019 to 4,368 in 2020 and to 4,752 in 2021, the latest year for which data was available.
According to the study published in the AAP's journal, gun violence has been the number one cause of death for children in the United States since 2020.
Noticeably, among Black kids guns were mostly used for homicide while the majority of White children used them for suicide.
Meanwhile, South Carolina pediatrician and gun violence prevention researcher, Annie Andrews, who was not involved in this study, said was not surprised anymore by so many gun-related injuries among American children.
Andrews said when she became a doctor, "I never imagined I would take care of so many children with bullet holes in them."
"But the fact of the matter is, in every children's hospital across this country, there are children in the pediatric intensive care units suffering from firearm injuries," Dr. Andrews said.
Anti-gun violence advocate Iman Omer, who is with the Students Demand Action group, called the study's findings devastating, yet unsurprising.
"Every year, I know that 128 children and teens in Tennessee die by guns," said Omer, who takes part in the state's anti-gun protests, rallying for tougher gun laws.
Republican lawmakers in Congress, however, have been opposed to imposing tough gun restrictions, citing the US Constitution's 2nd Amendment protecting Americans' right to keep and bear arms.
Republican lawmakers are staunch defenders of US arms manufacturers and their objective is seemingly to push gun sales up.
US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has called on Congress lawmakers to enact federal legislation to address the country’s gun "epidemic".
Biden urged US lawmakers to take a bipartisan stance and devise stricter laws against guns to better protect society against violent incidents that seem to always involve guns. “I can’t dictate this stuff.”
Meantime, a 2022 Gallup poll showed that the majority of Americans are in favor of imposing tougher gun controls to curb violent incidents in the United States.
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