The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recorded 4,752 pediatric firearm deaths in the United States in 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a publicly available data query system called Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER).14
The system provides access to an array of public health data, including demographics, mortality, underlying causes of death and intent. Mortality data are obtained from death certificates filed in all 50 states and Washington, District of Columbia.
In 2020, firearm injuries became the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents. The study seeks to evaluate new 2021 data on US pediatric firearm deaths and disparities to understand trends compared with previous years.
Overall, from 2018 to 2021, there was a 41.5% increase in the pediatric firearm death rate, with a fitted linear regression model of R2 = 0.91, death rate = 0.63(year) − 1267 (P = .0475). In 2021, there were 4752 pediatric firearm deaths, translating to a rate of 5.8 per 100 000 persons, representing an 8.8% increase in the rate from 2020.
US pediatric firearm deaths rose in 2021, above the spike in 2020, with worsening disparities. Implementation of prevention strategies and policies among communities at highest risk is critical.
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