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Gun violence among children, teens on the rise

Pew Research Center says 2020 saw the highest total number of gun deaths in the U.S. But gun murder and suicide rates both remain below their peak level.

WASHINGTON — The DMV has experienced a string of teen victims of gun violence recently, and data reveals the alarming trend is only getting worse.

A February 2021 report from the Center for Disease Control found firearms were the leading cause of death for American children, teens and young adults. The CDC says an average of nine children and teens were killed by gun violence daily in 2019, which is the last year with a published study on the issue by the CDC. That means almost one-in-ten gun deaths in the U.S. that year were kids, the second-highest number in two decades.

Of the more than 3,300 children and teens killed by gun violence in 2019, more than 2,000 died by homicide and the rest were by suicide. Of these youngest victims of gun violence, 44% were Black. In fact, more than half of all Black teens who died in 2019 -- a staggering 57% -- were killed by gun violence.

The CDC also reports D.C. had a four times higher rate of children and teens dying by gun violence than Virginia or Maryland in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center says 2020 saw the highest total number of gun deaths in the U.S. But gun murder and suicide rates in the U.S. both remain below their peak levels.

In 2020 there were 13.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people. That was the highest rate since the mid-1990s, but still well below the peak of 16.3 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 1974.

Overall, the CDC says the U.S. is averaging around 40 firearm homicides every day in the United States.

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