|
Abstract
|
Gun violence in the United States overwhelmingly and disproportionately hurts young people. In 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for children and adolescents aged 1 to 19, resulting in 4,368 deaths--a 29.5% increase in the rate of firearm-related deaths in this age group since 2019.1 Moreover, American children die from guns at much higher rates than those in the rest of the developed world. A study comparing U.S. children aged 5 to 14 with children in similarly developed nations found that American children are 13 times more likely to die from firearm homicide and eight times more likely to die from firearm suicide.2 While Americans are quick to point to school shootings as evidence of the impact of gun violence on today's youth, such incidents are statistically rare, accounting for less than 1% of all firearm-related deaths among U.S. youth. On the other hand, homicides account for 58%, suicides for 37%, and unintentional shootings for 2% of such deaths.3 Thus, a critical question must be addressed: How many of these deaths could be avoided if firearms were kept out of the hands of young people?
There is growing evidence to suggest that heightened access to firearms may be a significant contributing factor to the alarming number of firearm fatalities among U.S. youth. According to findings from the 2021 National Firearms Survey, approximately 4.6 million minors live in homes with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm.4 In another nationally representative survey, more than one-third of adolescents reported they could access a loaded household gun in less than five minutes.5 Finally, in a 2017 survey conducted by Pew Research Center, only 54% of gun owners with children living at home reported storing all of their firearms in a locked place, while only 53% kept them unloaded.6 For many young people in the United States, firearms are not difficult to come by. Most guns used by minors in suicides, unintentional shootings, and school shootings are obtained from the child's home or the home of a relative.7 The ongoing gun violence crisis among American children demands an effective and comprehensive solution that addresses the underlying causes of this problem.
To reduce gun violence and firearm-related deaths among youth in the United States, the federal government should implement a universal Child Access Prevention (CAP) law. Under current state CAP laws, adults can be held criminally responsible for children gaining access to their firearms. These measures aim to reduce youth suicides, unintentional injuries and deaths, and violent crime among youth by restricting children's access to firearms. Studies of the link between firearm availability and firearm fatalities among youth, outlined in this paper, suggest that CAP laws should reduce gun violence among young people by restricting their access to firearms |