Childhood gun injuries jumped in 2020

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Hospital visits to children with gunshot wounds increased by almost 40% in 2020, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. The surge in numbers coincided with a record increase in gun sales during the pandemic, the researchers said.

Firearm-related visits by children from birth to 18 years of age increased significantly from the previous three years, although the total number of hospital visits by children declined in 2020, the researchers said.

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March 2020 – the month the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic – saw an increase in gun-related hospital visits of nearly 15%. But by July-August 2020, visits had increased by 68%. Overall, nearly 800 gun-related hospital visits were made in the first six months of the pandemic, compared to a median of 570 visits in the previous three years.

Some communities have been more affected than others. Consistent with previous studies, the authors found that the highest rate of gun injuries was among non-Hispanic black teens. Almost half of them lived in a neighborhood with a very low index of opportunities for children, with high levels of poverty, violence and low economic opportunities. Almost 9 in 10 gun-related hospital visits in 2020 were in urban areas, a geographic trend consistent with previous years.

Video: How communities are using the public health lens to address the outbreak of gun violence

Although the study illustrates an alarming trend, it does not find the reasons for the increase in the number of injuries. More research is needed to find out how injuries may be linked to the pandemic and gun purchases.

“In the meantime, it is absolutely imperative that we prioritize advice to parents and other guardians about the safe storage of firearms,” said Kelsey Gastineau, lead author of the study and hospital pediatrician at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Vanderbilt.

“We also need to proactively promote resources for crisis support and violence response to children and adults,” she said. In the long term, advocating for continued research on gun safety and supporting responsible gun legislation could make a significant difference, the authors said in the study.

Firearms are the second leading cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. Compared with other high-income countries, gun suicides and unintentional gun injury deaths among 5-14 year olds are 8-10 times higher in the United States.

Researchers using data from a 2015 national survey estimated that between 3.9 and 5.9 million children live in a household with a loaded and unlocked gun. But those estimates have likely changed since the onset of the pandemic due to an unprecedented increase in U.S. firearms purchases during a period of uncertainty over lockdowns and turmoil following the murder of George Floyd and manifestations of racial justice. At the same time, some parents have made guns more accessible in the home, according to an article in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, citing the need to protect their teens and others from escalating civil unrest and violence. riots, the threat of home invasion, crime and fear of panic.

With the spread of the delta variant in the United States, the future of the pandemic remains uncertain. Based on the results of this study, the authors recommend prioritizing the safe storage of firearms and easy access to crisis support interventions to help reduce gun-related hospital visits. in children.