Firearm deaths of US school-age children at 'epidemic' levels, study says

[DonViejo]

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY Published 10:01 a.m. ET March 21, 2019 | Updated 5:42 p.m. ET March 21, 2019

Calling it an “epidemic,” scientists announced an alarming increase in the number of firearm deaths of school-age children in the USA: 38,942 in those 5 to 18 years old from 1999 to 2017, according to a study released Thursday.

"It is sobering that in 2017, there were 144 police officers who died in the line of duty and about 1,000 active-duty military throughout the world who died, whereas 2,462 school-age children were killed by firearms," said Charles Hennekens, the study's lead author from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine.

He called the epidemic a major clinical, public health and policy challenge, noting that the rate of death in the USA is about six to nine times higher than in other developed nations.

The study lands on the same day New Zealand announced it was banning all assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and military-style semi-automatic rifles in response to the nation's deadliest massacre last week. Gun violence has also been in the spotlight in the USA after a string of high-profile mass shootings in the past year.

more
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/21/gun-deaths-school-age-children-study/3231754002/

[Ilsa]

1. The NRA doesn't want the gubmint keeping those statistics. nt

[Socal31]

2. I've noticed these threads don't get many takers anymore.

We would make more progress if non-wingnut pro-2A members felt comfortable discussing the issue here.

I know some people don't believe that profile combination is possible, but I promise it is.

Cheers.

[gratuitous]

3. It's more dangerous to be a kid than a cop

God bless America.