Study: Youth less likely to die from guns in states with strong gun laws, even if gun ownership rate is high

A new study shows that children and youth are less likely to die from gun violence in states with strong gun-control laws, even if those states have high rates of gun ownership. Firearms are the second most common cause of pediatric death in the U.S., according to the study, which will be published in Pediatrics on Aug. 2.

Among high-income nations, the U.S. has the highest rate of firearm-related pediatric deaths, "the highest rate of gun ownership, and the loosest laws," Michelle Cortez reports for Bloomberg. "The findings are part of a new wave of research into the impact of firearms on public health."

Researchers analyzed firearms deaths of people under age 21 from between 2011 and 2015 using a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database that tracks all fatal injuries in the nation, and cross-referenced their findings with state gun-law scorecards from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. They found that the stronger a state's laws, the fewer firearm-related deaths it had, even when accounting for variables such as gun ownership, race, income, and education levels.

Of the 21,241 firearms deaths among people under age 21, most (62 percent) were from assaults. More than 87% of the deaths occurred among males, and nearly 68% were age 18 to 21.

The study results "bolster the argument that gun restrictions may help avert some of the 4,250 deaths that occur each year among Americans under age 21, already the second leading cause of death in children after traffic accidents," Cortez reports. "States with stricter gun-control laws had 4% fewer pediatric deaths, and those with universal background checks for firearm purchases in place for at least five years had a 35% lower risk, the study found."