The American Academy of Pediatrics released a new study detailing how the rate of firearm fatalities among children under 18 has surged by 87% from 2011 through 2021 in the United States. The study reinforces how America’s gun violence epidemic has impacted American families, guns are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.

The study also shows how the death rate for car accidents, once the number one killer of American children, has fallen significantly, nearly by half, a clear result of the motor vehicle industry taking meaningful steps to innovate and make their products safer, steps the gun industry has long failed to do.

Firearms are the leading cause of death for children, teens and college-aged people in America. Every year, nearly 19,000 children and teens are shot and killed or wounded and approximately three million are exposed to gun violence. Witnessing shootings – whether in their schools, their communities or their homes – can have a devastating impact. Even for those who haven’t experienced gun violence, the trauma of experiencing active shooter drills and swatting incidents – which are happening with increasing frequency – leaves students, teachers and parents across the country experiencing firsthand the impacts of the gun lobby’s ‘guns everywhere’ agenda. 

Unintentional shootings make up five percent of gun deaths among children under the age of 18. Parents and adults can find more information on how to prevent unintentional shootings through Everytown’s secure storage campaign, Be SMART For Kids (“Be SMART”). Be SMART helps parents and other adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries, youth suicide, and gunfire on school grounds. 

The program encourages parents and adults to: 

• Secure all guns in their home and vehicles
• Model responsible behavior around guns
• Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• Recognize the role of guns in suicide
• Tell your peers to be SMART