Citation

Komro KA. J. Health Educ. 1999; 30(5): 290-296.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance)

DOI

10.1080/10556699.1999.10603412

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Homicide is the second leading cause of death for youths between the ages of 15 and 24, and has been the leading cause of death for African Americans in this age group for over a decade. The vast majority of homicides among youths between the ages of 15 and 19 results from firearms. Across various studies, 10 to 50% of young study participants report having been threatened with a firearm or having a firearm pulled on them. Over one-third of urban high school students and 70% of juvenile offenders report having easy access to firearms. Obtaining firearms from peers, relatives, or on the street are the most frequently cited sources of firearms for youth. Close to 10% of high school students in a national study report carrying firearms and of that 10%, more boys than girls report carrying a firearm. The majority of juvenile offenders report carrying a firearm all or most of the time. This article describes these statistics in more detail as well as the impact that increasing use of firearms by youth has on our society. The paper concludes with a review of promising strategies to reduce youth access to firearms.

Language: en