Staff Reports
Adolescents and firearms. It’s a topic that the liberal media loves to blow out of proportion, making it seem like an epidemic sweeping the nation. But the truth is, the crisis is completely inflated. Sure, it’s tragic when any child dies, but the numbers don’t lie.
In 2021, there were 10,048 injury-related deaths among individuals between the ages of <1-17. Of those deaths, only 2,590 involved firearms. That means less than 25% of all injury-related juvenile deaths were caused by firearms. So why is everyone screaming about guns? And here's another fun fact: 62% of child injury-related deaths included mechanisms other than firearms. That's right, there are plenty of other things that pose a danger to our kids. But you don't see the media calling for a ban on swimming pools or bicycles, do you? But let's dive even deeper into the numbers. Out of the 2,220 homicides among the <1-17 age group in 2021, firearms were suspected in only 1,503 of those cases. That means there were 717 homicides that did not involve firearms. Yet, the left wants to make it seem like guns are the only problem. And what about suicides? Yes, it's tragic when a young person takes their own life, but let's get the facts straight. There were 1,590 adolescent suicides in 2021, and of those, 790 involved firearms. That means more than half of the suicides were not gun-related. So why are we blaming guns for the rise in youth suicides? Here's the reality: it's illegal for an individual <1-17 to possess a handgun in 49 states. That means the majority of these deaths are happening because of illegal access to firearms. Maybe we should focus on enforcing existing laws rather than creating new ones. And let's not forget that hunting and recreational activities with parental consent are allowed in 30 states. Rifles and shotguns were used in only .04% of all homicides in all age groups. So why are we demonizing guns when they are used responsibly by law-abiding citizens? The fact is, the media and the left are using the issue of adolescent firearm deaths to push their own anti-gun agenda. They don't care about the facts or the real causes of these tragedies. They just want to strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights. So next time you hear someone screaming about the crisis of adolescents and firearms, remember the real numbers. It's not the epidemic they make it out to be. And it's certainly not a reason to infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.
