Guns have become the leading cause of death for American kids Firearms were the leading cause of death for kids one and older for the first time in 2020, the most recent year for which CDC data is available. Why it matters: The firearm death rate among children is steadily rising, as more kids are involved in gun-related homicides like Tuesday's mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas,as well as suicides and accidents. By the numbers: Nearly two-thirds of the 4,368 U.S. children up to age 19 who were killed by guns in 2020 were homicide victims, per the CDC. Motor vehicle crashes, formerly the leading cause of death for kids one and older, killed nearly 4,000 children. Another 30% of firearm-related child fatalities were suicides, 3% were accidental and 2% were of undetermined intent. Male youths were significantly more likely to be killed by guns, while vehicle crashes claimed more females. There were also stark racial disparities. The firearm death rate for Black children was more than four times that of white children, and white children were still more likely to be killed by motor vehicles than guns. D.C. had the highest firearm death rate, followed by Louisiana, Alaska and Mississippi. Of note: Among children younger than 1, congenital anomalies — or birth defects — were the leading cause of death in 2020, resulting in 4,043 fatalities, per the CDC. What they're saying: "As the progress made in reducing deaths from motor vehicle crashes shows, we don’t have to accept the high rate of firearm-related deaths among U.S. children and adolescents," researchers recently wrote in a New England Journal of Medicine article that highlighted the trend. The study noted that while the National Highway Safety Administration could take the lead addressing road-traffic fatalities, firearms are one of the few products whose safety isn't regulated by a designated federal agency. It has taken 20 years to build a database of firearm-related deaths that includes data from all 50 states, the researchers wrote. The bottom line: School shootings have become tragically common in the U.S., but constitute only a small fraction of gun deaths among children. https://www.axios.com/2022/05/26/gun-deaths-children-america
Yep, and that will get worse as crime gets worse. And crime will get worse as the Gini Coefficient gets worse... Most of those deaths are gang related, with black market firearms.
BFD. It's Mitch McConnell. Lip service that delivers nothing and deflects accountability. Just another day in that asshole's life.....
Texas immediately shows why more guns in schools is NOT the answer. Man accidentally shoots himself in leg while picking up child from Arlington school MAY 26, 2022 1:55 PM An Arlington elementary school was under lockdown Thursday morning after a parent brought a gun onto school grounds and accidentally shot himself, police said. Duff Elementary School was “placed on a brief lockdown,” which was quickly lifted, said Anita Foster, a spokesperson for Arlington school district, in an email to the Star-Telegram. “No threats were made to the school at any time and all students and staff remained safe during the lockdown.” A report from KXAS-TV said the man was walking toward the front office of the school and was adjusting his pants when his gun, tucked into his waistband, discharged. The man’s leg and foot were wounded, said Tim Ciesco, a spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department. The man was taken to a local hospital, but is expected to survive. Ciesco said that the father with the concealed gun was at the school to pick up a child and they don’t believe he had any malicious intent. Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/arlington/article261829475.html#storylink=cpy
Abbott blithered about mental health after acknowledging the shooter had no known mental illness. His budget cut $200 million from mental health services. And one of Trump's first acts in office, after reinstating global gag rule, was to overturn an Obama era regulation that made it harder for people with known mental illness to acquire guns. Just saw police officer interviewed, he said even trained officers can't always cope with mass shooters and it's insane to expect teachers to do so. In Buffalo an armed security guard fired at the killer but couldn't penetrate his body armor. He ended up dead.
Faith Leaders, Teachers Mobilize for Protests at NRA's Houston Meeting in Wake of Uvalde Massacre "Don't look away," said one advocacy group. "Rally against the NRA." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2...sts-nras-houston-meeting-wake-uvalde-massacre Sounds about right.
It took police over an hour to get inside... let's just make sure the schools lock the doors and there would be no mass shooting. There would be a guy trying to get in with guns while the office refused to open the door and called police. Of course, if the police knew a shooter was outside they probably would have gotten lost on the way there for an hour or two...
In honor of the leadership shown by Ted Cruz when bad things happen in Texas, we should set up a GoFundMe to send these poor officers to Cancun.
