Gun suicides reached an all-time high in the United States in 2022, and the gun suicide rate among Black teens surpassed that of white teens for the first time on record, new data shows.
Guns also remained the leading cause of death for children and teens, marking the fifth straight year that firearms have claimed the lives of more minors than any other cause, including car crashes and cancer.
It’s an increasingly worrying trend for the nation’s youth: The rate of gun deaths among children and teens in the United States climbed 87% in the last decade, fueled by both gun homicides and suicides.
That’s according to newly-released provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions in Baltimore.
“Many thought the spike in gun deaths from 2019 to 2020 was going to be a one-year outlier related to COVID-19, political instability and racial justice protests,” said Ari Davis, a policy advisor at the center. “Now, with two more years of elevated gun death rates, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we are dealing with a more persistent and obstinate problem.”
Gun homicides declined in 2022
The provisional data, which is based on information from death certificates, suggests gun death rates remain near highs not seen since the mid-1990s.
At least 48,000 people died by guns last year — an average of one person every 11 minutes, according to the Johns Hopkins analysis. Of those, nearly 20,000 were killed by a gun, and nearly 27,000 died by suicide.
The United States saw gun homicides decline about 7% last year, and the overall gun death rate declined nearly 2% in 2022 from 2021.
“We’ll be watching closely to see if this decline continues into 2023,” Davis said.
Gun suicides rose in 2022
At the same time, the gun suicide rate has steadily increased, nearly uninterrupted, since 2006. The firearm suicide rate increased by about 8% in 2021 — the highest one-year increase in four decades. That rise continued into 2022, when the rate of gun suicides jumped nearly 2% from the previous year.
Davis said a number of factors may be contributing to the recent spike, including a lagged impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know trauma, isolation and economic hardship are all risk factors for suicide,” Davis said. “The increase in gun ownership over the last few years may also play a role.”
A record number of people bought guns for the first time in 2020, and millions of Americans were newly exposed to guns in their homes, he said.
“Gun suicide is a hidden epidemic that is rarely discussed in the context of gun violence, even though gun suicides make up the majority of gun deaths,” Davis said.
A disproportionate impact on Black children, teens
More than 4,500 children and teens ages 1 to 19 died from gun violence in 2022, the data shows. That follows more than 4,700 gun deaths in this age group in 2021 and more than 4,300 gun deaths in 2020.
Black children and teens bore a disproportionate share of those deaths, with a gun homicide rate 20 times higher than their white counterparts last year, according to the Johns Hopkins analysis.
“These large disparities have remained largely unchanged for decades,” Davis said. “Gun homicide is one of the most striking health disparities of any form in our country. Yet, often, scant public health attention is dedicated to addressing it.”
The data also shows increasing rates of suicide among young Black people. Black suicide rates, among the nation’s lowest prior to 2000, have steadily climbed in the past two decades.
Black suicide rates:Once among the nation’s lowest, they’ve risen dramatically among youths
Gun violence researchers recommend red flag laws, safe storage
The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, which conducted the analysis, has endorsed a number of policies aimed at reducing gun violence.
The center recommends lawmakers implement permit-to-purchase laws, also known as gun purchaser licensing; use “red flag” laws to temporarily remove firearms from individuals determined to be at elevated risk for violence; invest in community violence intervention programs; adopt child access prevention laws mandating safe firearm storage in households with kids; enact stronger concealed carry permitting laws; and repeal “stand-your-ground” laws.
If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach someone with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They’re available 24 hours a day and provide services in multiple languages.
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