Kids at risk, report says

Teens, young adults also among hundreds affected in Denver

Approximately 700 children, teens and young adults are killed, wounded or threatened with a gun every year in Denver, according to a new Denver Public Health report.

The first-of-its-kind report released Tuesday shows how gun violence impacts a vast number of Denver’s residents who are younger than 25 years old. Denver Public Health officials crunched data from hospitals, police and health organizations to recommend solutions that treat gun violence as a health issue instead of strictly a criminal justice problem.

“We’re recognizing that this is a problem in Denver,” said Maritza Valenzuela, youth health manager at Denver Public Health. “Protecting youth from gun violence is the job of all of us, not just one

community.”

Key points in the report include:

• Forty-seven youths were killed in gun homicides between 2012 and 2017. Twenty-seven more young people died by suicide with a gun in that time period.

• On average, 69 young people visit a hospital because of gunshot wounds every year.

• Of all victims taken to emergency rooms for gunshot wounds, about half are younger than 25 years old.

Mayor Michael Hancock called the numbers unacceptable.

“Gun violence is plaguing our cities, our nation and the very soul of our society, and it’s even more devastating to our communities and families when it impacts our children and youth,” he said in a news release.

In Denver, gun violence disproportionately affects young Latino and black residents, according to the report. Between 2012 and 2017, more Latino youths were shot and killed than any other racial group. The rate of gun homicide was five times higher for black youths than their white peers in that time period.

“When we look at the race/ ethnicity of the young people who are victims of crime involving guns, especially as compared to their populations, a stark difference is clear,” the report states.

The report also found that gun crimes were more common in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and unemployment, such as Cole and Montbello, because of a complex web of inequities.

People who live in those communities are more likely to be victims of gun violence, or witness such crimes.

“None of our youth deserve to experience gun violence, no matter what they’re involved in or if they’re going down the wrong path,” Valenzuela said.

Gun violence leads to lifelong impact for the young people affected as well as their families and friends. Trauma can desensitize people as well as break down social networks, according to the report.

The authors of the report recommend several solutions to the problem, including improving the quality of life for young people, starting violence prevention at the elementary school age and promote the safe storage of guns. The factors that influence a child’s safety can be as simple as how often they eat dinner with family members or whether they have an adult role model, Valenzuela said.

“Gun violence is preventable,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“None of our youth deserve to experience gun violence, no matter what they’re involved in or if they’re going down the wrong path.” Maritza Valenzuela, youth health manager at Denver Public Health