WASHINGTON – A study from Washington State University (WSU) revealed that firearm-related deaths have surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for young people aged 11 to 18. The study, which reviews federal data, shows a significant increase in gun deaths among adolescents, rising from 1,945 in 2001 to 3,224 in 2022.
Dr. Elizabeth Weybright explained that this study took a unique approach by focusing specifically on victims ages 11 to 18. She added that similar, previous studies have included ages one to 19, making findings harder to interpret.
“When I look at [ages one to 19], it’s hard for me to parse apart, what do I do with a two-year-old versus an eighteen-year-old? Those are really different people at…very different developmental stages, and they are interacting with the world differently,” Weybright said.
The new WSU study provides another type of context as well.
“In previous studies, when they looked at these one-to-19 year-olds, they found that firearms surpassed motor vehicle accidents around 2020,” Weybright stated. “But when we narrow it into middle and high school aged adolescents, we actually find that cross happened earlier.”
WSU’s research found that firearms became the leading cause of death for this age group back in 2017.
Additionally, Weybright emphasized that addressing gun deaths in adolescents requires different prevention strategies than those used for younger children.
“We cannot treat children and adolescents the same because the mechanism of injury and death is not the same,” Weybright said. “This means that when we’re trying to prevent injury, we need to use different strategies.”
Weybright suggested that proper storage and conversations about gun safety should start when children are young.
“If your kid knows where your Christmas presents are, they know where your firearms are,” Weybright said.
She advised parents, as children reach their teenage years, to consider changing firearm storage locations and engaging in discussions about the long-term consequences of risk-taking behaviors.
