Inside the Pandemic is an Epidemic. Guns hurting kids.

[AndyS]

Inside the Pandemic is an Epidemic. An epidemic of gunshot wounds for our next generation.

Hospital visits by children with gun injuries rose by almost 40 percent in 2020. That’s according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, which found there were more shooting-related patients treated last year than the previous three years, even as overall hospital admissions declined for people 18 and under. An unequal burden: The researchers found that Black kids had the highest rate of firearm injury, and that 49 percent of victims lived in neighborhoods with a very low Child Opportunity Index, a development indicator of economic opportunity. Researchers did not point to a specific cause of increased injuries. But lead author Kelsey Gastineau, a pediatric hospital doctor at Vanderbilt, told The Washington Post that it “is absolutely imperative that we prioritize counseling parents and other guardians on safely storing firearms.” She added, “We also have to proactively promote crisis support and violence intervention resources to kids and adults alike.”

An alarming trend magnified in Louisville: More kids have died in homicides this year than all of 2020. Through August 11, there were 17 kids under 18 who died, all but one from shootings. Last year, there were 16 youth homicides, and a city record of 173 overall. Sixty-five minors have also been injured in shootings this year. The Courier-Journal notes that Louisville’s surrounding Jefferson County had a juvenile homicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000, more than twice the national rate from 2010 to 2019, according to CDC figures. “Our future is dying off,” said Lacy Hatfield, whose teenage nephew was one of the homicide victims this year.

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/148/2/e2021050223?utm_source=The+Trace+mailing+list&utm_campaign=4ad8ac4c25-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_24_04_06_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f76c3ff31c-4ad8ac4c25-51831121

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/firearm-injuries-children-increase/2021/08/13/e4b99a9e-f621-11eb-9738-8395ec2a44e7_story.html?utm_source=The+Trace+mailing+list&utm_campaign=4ad8ac4c25-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_24_04_06_COPY_01&utm_medium=email

https://www.courier-journal.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2021/08/13/child-homicides-spike-in-louisville-surpassing-last-years-total/8074400002/?utm_source=The+Trace+mailing+list&utm_campaign=4ad8ac4c25-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_24_04_06_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f76c3ff31c-4ad8ac4c25-51831121

"Through August 11, there were 17 kids under 18 who died, all but one from shootings".That single sentence says it all. In the middle of a disease pandemic more kids died from gunshot then covid and all other causes.

I believe that the massive increase in gun sales to first time buyers is responsible. New owners of lethal weapons with no training and no concept of personal safety or self defense. Newbies without a clue.

It should be mandatory that anyone buying a gun own a safe storage device or a trigger lock. Simple, cheap and the most efficient way to keep guns out of the hands of unauthorized users like kids. Better yet is smart gun technology built into the gun; available, proven, inexpensive and allows access to the one who should have it if needed. Yet the gun industry has vehemently fought every one of these devices.

There are gun safety laws that don't infringe anyone's rights. We need to pass them and enforce them.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Couldn't agree more! K&R n/t