Citation

Randolph SD, González-Guarda RM, Pearson J. JAMA Health Forum 2024; 5(4): e241044.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.1044

PMID

38573649

Abstract

The adverse effects of firearm violence plague all US communities by race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, and geography in variable and distinct ways. In 2022, firearm injuries were among the 5 leading causes of deaths in the US, and, for the first time, firearm-related deaths surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the top cause of death for individuals younger than 19 years of age.1 The firearm homicide rates in 2022 were notably higher for American Indian or Alaska Native individuals (9.3 per 100 000), Black individuals (27.5 per 100 000), and Hispanic or Latino individuals (5.5 per 100 000) than for non-Hispanic White individuals (2.0 per 100 000).

Inequities in firearm injuries in major US cities increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Black children were 100 times more likely and Hispanic or Latino children were 25 times more likely to sustain firearm injuries than non-Hispanic White children.2 Urban communities with concentrated poverty experience disproportionately more firearm homicides, crime, and associated trauma than less disadvantaged neighborhoods.3 Unfortunately, community firearm violence has been a long-standing issue in certain US populations and cities for decades. In fact, males, Black individuals, and individuals aged 18 to 24 years had the highest rates of firearm homicide from 1993 to 2010. Eliminating these inequities requires a multifaceted approach that recognizes racialized violence as a consequence of structurally rooted systemic racism. ...

Language: en

Keywords

*Firearms; *Wounds, Gunshot/prevention & control; Humans; Systemic Racism