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Abstract
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Guns are the leading cause of death among children in the United States.1 In 2021, firearms killed 4,733 children.2 Until the mid-twentieth century, infectious disease was the main cause of death of children.3 Advances in medicine and preventative measures such as vaccinations decreased deaths attributable to infectious diseases.4 The next leading cause of death for decades was motor vehicle accidents.5 New regulations in car safety, including car seats,6 led to a sharp decline in motor vehicle deaths for children.7 With each new threat to child welfare, there has been a successful government intervention that embraces public health initiatives. There has been no such trend in gun violence prevention.
For adults, the statistics are just as disturbing. Gun violence is the leading cause of premature death for those over eighteen.8 In 2019, adult deaths attributable to gun violence accounted for 925,023 years of potential life lost.9 This is more than the years of potential life lost to diabetes, stroke, and liver disease combined.10 Fatal gun violence includes, but is not limited to, homicide,11 suicide,12 unintentional death,13 and mass shootings.14 Homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males between the ages of ten and forty-four.15 It is also one of the leading causes of death for women under forty-four.16 When looking at data relating to suicide and attempted suicide, the presence of firearms is particularly deadly. Suicide acts involving firearms account for less than one percent of all suicide acts but account for more than fifty percent of all suicide deaths.17 In its many forms, gun violence is pervasive in the United States.
Even those lucky enough to survive a gun-related injury are not insulated from the effects of gun violence. Research has found gunshot wound injuries are a predictor of death within five years for patients who present in the emergency department.19 It is not only physical health that is harmed. The lasting effects of gunshot wounds can include post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependency.20 These effects do not appear to improve over time and are not proportionate to the severity of the gunshot wound.21 The individual economic effects of gun violence include decreased employment22 and lost earnings. ...
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview/vol72/iss1/6
Language: en |