One of the leading causes of child deaths in the United States: firearms

Firearm-related deaths are among the top three causes of death among children in the United States. And according to a new study published in the journal pediatrics, the firearm death rate among children aged 1 to 5 increased over a 40-year period, even though firearm ownership has decreased.

One of the reasons for the increase in mortality rate despite the overall decline in ownership? Firearms possession is declining in the United States, but among gun owners, it is more likely that someone has a handgun than a rifle or shotgun. This increase in the possession of handguns appears to be behind the increase in the death rate, the researchers in the study said. These results do not prove the causality, but only the badociation. However, possession of handguns in a household remains a health and safety issue that directly affects families, especially those with young children. The authors of the study recommend that firearms stored in a home be locked up, stored empty, and that ammunition be stored in a separate place.

"We are concerned that children are dying from preventable causes and we wanted to look at ways to prevent this from happening," Kate Prickett, lead author of the study, a sociologist and demographer of the family at Victoria University, told CNN Wellington, New Zealand.

Previous studies have shown that the place to live and the type of person to be determined determine the risk of shooting death and that for firearm homicides, the United States has four out of every 100 000 people. The United States is one of six countries that together account for half of all firearm deaths worldwide.