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Thursday, Jul. 10, 2025

Are guns the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

Using 2023 CDC data, several reports concluded that guns were the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17 for the fourth year in a row.

Most gun deaths have continued to be gun suicides since 1995, accounting for 6 out of every 10 gun deaths. Since 2014, the gun suicide rates among Black and Hispanic children ages 10 to 19 have increased by 245% and 98%, respectively.

Among similarly large and wealthy Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development nations, the United States has the highest child and teen (ages 1 to 19) gun mortality rate by a wide margin at 6 per 100,000 children and teens, more than 9.5 times that of Canada, which has the second-highest child and teen gun mortality rate.

Gun deaths comprised 20% of all child and teen deaths in the U.S.

From 2019 – 2023, Oklahoma averaged 75 child and teen gun deaths annually.

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