The spike in gun deaths among children from 2019 to 2021 was driven by older teens, likely tied to shutdowns of in-school learning during the pandemic, and follows the skyrocketing crime trend the U.S. witnessed in 2020, according to an expert.
Gun deaths among children and teenagers under 18 years of age increased by 50% from 2019 to 2021, Pew Research found, citing mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data found that in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 1,732 gun deaths among kids, before increasing to 2,590 in 2021.
The Pew study found that older children and teens were more likely to be killed in a shooting than younger children, finding that “those ages 12 to 17 accounted for 86% of all gun deaths among children and teens in 2021.”
Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Amy Swearer told Fox News Digital that the CDC data shows the increase in deaths is mostly driven by older teens, especially among 14- to 18-year olds.
MORE THAN 23M FIREARMS SOLD, OVER 21M GUN BACKGROUND CHECKS CONDUCTED IN 2020
“When you look at the CDC data closely, it’s clear that this increase isn’t because more young children are generally accessing guns and accidentally…
