NCJ Number
159315
Journal
Pediatrics (April 1994) Pages: 784-787
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Firearms play a major role in childhood morbidity and mortality in the United States, especially among adolescents, and the American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to reducing firearms deaths and injuries among children.
Abstract
Reducing injuries and deaths from firearms is an essential priority for adolescent health. Of all firearm deaths among children from birth to 19 years of age, 80 percent occur in older youth between 10 and 19 years of age. Firearms are involved in 70 percent of teenage homicides and 63 percent of teenage suicides. Firearms represent the second leading cause of death, after motor vehicle accidents, among all teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age. Risk factors for firearms deaths seem particularly related to age, since firearm-related violence rates peak in late adolescence and decrease in young adulthood. Statistics on firearms deaths and injuries among adolescents emphasize the severity of the problem. Consideration is paid to mortality, morbidity, firearm types, firearm accessibility, adolescent developmental issues, and gun safety education. Recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics are offered to protect children, restrict gun availability, promote family responsibility, identify adolescents at risk, develop community coalitions, implement school curriculums on violence prevention, and encourage active research on firearms deaths and injuries. 26 references