Fewer kids die when gun laws tough, study finds

Children living in states with strict firearm laws are less likely to die from gun violence than those in states with more-lax restrictions, according to a study in Pediatrics published Monday. The more rigorous the rules, the lower the risk, the researchers showed.

The U.S. has the highest rate of firearm-related deaths among children in high-income countries, as well as the highest rate of gun ownership and the loosest laws. The findings are part of a new wave of research into the impact of firearms on public health.

The National Rifle Association stirred the debate in November, telling doctors to “stay in their lane” after the publication of papers on reducing firearm injuries and deaths in the U.S.

The new results bolster the argument that gun restrictions may help avert some of the 4,250 deaths that occur each year among Americans under age 21, already the second-leading cause of death in children after traffic accidents. States with stricter gun control laws had 4% fewer pediatric deaths, and those with universal background checks for firearm purchases in place for at least five years had a 35% lower risk, the study found.

“As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I have personally cared for too many children who have been unfortunate victims of gun violence,” said lead author Monika Goyal, director of research in emergency medicine at Children’s National in Washington. “Although there has been a recent uptick in firearm-injury prevention research, our country has not embraced this issue as it has other public health crises. An evidence-based and datadriven approach is the only way to combat this public health epidemic.”

The researchers analyzed data on deaths caused by firearms between 2011 and 2015 collected as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, which tracks all fatal injuries in the U.S. They cross-referenced their findings with gun law scorecards from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which measures state firearms regulations.

In all, there were 21,241 deaths among children and young adults under the age of 21 during the five-year period. The majority of the deaths, 62%, were assaults, followed by suicides. Most occurred among males, and two-thirds were aged 18 to 21 years old.