New Injury and Violence Prevention Publications From the Children's Safety Network

• NCJ Number: 159055
• Author(s): J Athey
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Sale Source: National Maternal and Child Health Clearinghouse
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Youth Violence and Guns

Annotation

These injury and violence prevention publications from the Children's Safety Network indicate that youth in the United States are killed with guns at rates far higher than in other countries.

Abstract

In 1987, 1,300 males under 19 years of age were murdered with guns in the United States. By comparison, fewer than 80 males in the same age group were murdered with guns in Canada, Japan, France, West Germany, Australia, England, Wales, and Sweden combined. In the United States, 2,861 children 19 years of age and under were murdered with guns in 1990, an increase of 114 percent since 1985. The firearm homicide rate for 15- to 19-year-olds increased by 61 percent between 1979 and 1989. In 1990, 3,165 youths between 15 and 24 years of age killed themselves with guns. Between 1953 and 1978, the rate of suicide among young people tripled, due entirely to an increase in the firearm-caused suicide rate. In one study, teenagers who used firearms to commit suicide were five times more likely to have been drinking than teenagers who killed themselves using other methods. In 1990, 4,941 children under 19 years of age died from gunshot wounds; 538 were shot unintentionally. Between 1986 and 1990, at least 65 students were shot to death and 186 were wounded on school grounds. Between 1976 and 1987, more than twice as many American women were shot and killed by their husbands or boyfriends as were murdered by strangers using guns, knives, or other means. A gun in the home was 43 times more likely to kill a family member or friend than it was to be used in self-defense. In 1992, approximately 78 percent of murder victims were killed by someone they knew. Between 1975 and 1991, the number of licensed firearms dealers increased by over 95,000. The cost of direct medical spending, emergency services, and claims processing for gun violence victims totaled about $3 billion in 1992. The urgent need for violence prevention initiatives targeting children and youth is emphasized. 71 references and 7 figures