Children and Teens in the US Are More Likely To Die Due to Gun Violence Than Car Accidents, Illness: Report

Children and teenagers in the United States are now more likely to die due to gun violence-related incidents compared to car accidents and illnesses, a new report said.

In 2022, 18% of all deaths involving children and teens aged one to 18 were caused by firearms. That means about five in every 100,000 children in the US were killed in gun-related incidents in 2022. This was first reported by CNN, which analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database.

For perspective, car accidents accounted for 15.2% of childhood deaths while cancer and other illnesses accounted for a combined 17% of childhood deaths in 2022.

The number of gun violence-related deaths among children has consistently increased since 2013 when firearms caused the deaths of 11.2% of children and teens aged one to 18, the report noted.

Recent Gun Violence-Related Deaths

Two of the most recent childhood deaths happened on Sept. 4 when 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire at the Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. Two teachers also died. Officials considered the Apalachee mass shooting incident the deadliest school shooting reported since March 2023.

The US is the only wealthy country where firearms are the number one cause of childhood deaths. It is also the only large, wealthy country where firearms are one of the top four causes of death among the youth, per health policy organization KFF.

Even in US states with the most restrictive gun laws, childhood deaths caused by firearms are still higher than those reported in any other peer country.

How Many US Children Have Now Died of Gun Violence in 2024?

As of Sunday, a total of 984 children and teens aged 0 to 17 have been killed in gun violence-related incidents. That marks an increase of eight childhood deaths involving firearms since last Friday.

By age group, 173 children 0- to 11 years old have died in gun violence incidents. This increased to 811 among teens ages 12 to 17, according to the Gun Violence Archive.