Cause of Death among School Children

[Jonny]

Are we at a point where the most common cause of death among elementary school children in the USA is getting shot during peacetime?

Tell me how that is not a gun problem.

There were lots of bad guys and mentally ill people that went without treatment in the old days.

Why is that we only have so very many mass shootings just very recently in history?

[RomneyLies]

1. STOP CALLING IT A GUN PROBLEM!

It is a gun CRISIS.

[Recursion]

4. The gun violence rate is half what it was 20 years ago (nt)

[Fridays Child]

6. Does that include U.S. mass murders and rampage killings?

And do you have links to documentation that supports such facts?

[Recursion]

7. Yes. Did you seriously not know that?

Here's a table:

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

It's been the great unsolved mystery of criminology for the past 20 years.

[Fridays Child]

8. Obviously, my question wasn't about general gun violence statistics.

I'm asking whether incidents of mass/rampage killings of children have decreased during that same period?

[Recursion]

9. No, they've gone somewhat up, but are a tiny fraction of all murders

so it doesn't affect the overall rate. That's another mystery.

[kwassa]

10. Your charts don't split out violence by type of weapon.

The murder rate is half of what it was during the crack epidemic of the '80s, but even there the type of weapon is not shown.

[Recursion]

12. Murders by gun remain a little over half of murders. They've gone down with the overall rate

If you want I can dig up the breakout tables from FBI

[kwassa]

13. Here is a table from DoJ

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/tables/weaponstab.cfm

The peak is 1993.

[Recursion]

14. Yes. Note that's an *absolute* drop, not just a per 100,000 drop

It really is astounding.

[WooWooWoo]

2. no

the three most common causes of death among middle school-aged children are accidents, cancer and genetic conditions present at birth.

[Recursion]

3. For children age 5-9, the most common causes of death are, in order

1. Accident (~ 700 annually)
2. Cancer (~ 400 annually)
3. Congenital anomalies (~ 150 annually)
4. Homicide (~ 100 annually)

For 10-14 it's about the same, with suicide replacing congenital anomalies

[frazzled]

5. It's certainly true in my city

The number of Chicago Public Schools students killed in gun violence this past school year dipped slightly from the previous year, but the total number of students who were shot was up sharply, according to figures from Chicago police.

Twenty-four students were fatally shot during the school year that ended June 15, four fewer than in the 2010-11 year. But the overall shooting toll — 319 — was the highest in four years and a nearly 22 percent increase from the previous school year.

The rise in shootings of CPS students compounds concerns over an alarming increase in the city's homicide rate. Through June 17, homicides are up about 38 percent citywide this year compared with the same period in 2011, while shootings are up 12 percent.

The casualty toll includes students shot at all hours of the day, and the numbers from police don't indicate where the shootings occurred. Still, the number of students who were shot presents a vexing problem for CPS officials who have spent millions of dollars trying to stem violence.

The national spotlight on the beating death of Derrion Albert in 2009 brought a heightened focus on combating youth violence under former schools chief Ron Huberman. He added mentoring and advocacy programs for at-risk students, launched intensive "Culture of Calm" programs at 38 troubled high schools, provided community patrols at schools and enlisted faith leaders to open churches after school and during the summer to keep kids off the street.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-26/news/ct-met-cps-student-violence-0625-20120626_1_cps-students-students-shot-safe-

Think of it, each year more schoolchildren are killed here than were killed yesterday. But they are almost all poor and black, and the shootings don't happen at once, so they become barely newsworthy. Fleeting stories in the daily paper or local newscasts.

A few years ago my husband's T.A. told him that she had to take time off because her young cousin had just been shot and killed. He, an older sibling, and the youngest sister had driven to a basketball game. On the way home, a drive-by shooting occurred, and he threw himself over his baby sister. He died. He was from a good family. He was a good kid, working hard at a local vocational school. He was just another victim among dozens of kids who died here that year. It breaks my heart every day.

[JVS]

11. I think there are still probably way more car accidents

[Jonny]

15. Missed the Point

I can see that mostly gun supporters answered my post.

I case you didn't get it, I don't actually believe that gun shots are the leading cause of death among children.

If you have to argue for gun ownership here or give stats about gun deaths going down, then I don't think you and I are on the same page.

I am saying that any deaths of children by shooting are unacceptable.

I am also saying that you gun supporters, yah the ones that answered here, have done your best to enable this shooting.

You took the bait and exposed yourself here.

Sorry about that! (Not really)

[GeorgeGist]

16. Lame