20 CHILDREN A DAY ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL FOR GUN INJURIES
Every day, gun injuries send 20 children and teenagers to the hospital in the United States.
A new study from Yale University, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that 7,391 younger patients are hospitalized each year as a result of a firearm injury – and 453 of these patients (around 6 percent) ultimately die from their injuries.
Assault accounted for the majority of the injuries, but other injuries were caused by gun accidents. The most common types of injuries included open wounds, fractures and internal injuries of the thorax, abdomen or pelvis.
According to the study’s authors, their findings reveal the need for more education about gun safety in the U.S.
"These data highlight the toll of gun-related injuries that extends beyond high-profile cases, and those children and adolescents who die before being hospitalized. Pediatricians and other health care providers can play an important role in preventing these injuries through counseling about firearm safety, including safe storage," said Dr. John Leventhal, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
I looked a little more into the story. That is, I went to the Yale School of Medicine website and found this further explanation:
About 84 percent of these shootings involved teens aged 15 to 19, and two-thirds of those were related to assaults. While the study's database does not provide specifics, Leventhal said it's natural to assume that gang violence explains some of these gunshot injuries.
So the vast majority of these 'children' are actually 15-19 year olds. Not really children by any contemporary definition.
I suppose Leventhal is correct when he says that his findings reveal the need for more gun safety education. When will his team get on the road to Chicago and set up classes for the Gangster Disciples, or the Latin Kings, or the Aryan Nation?
Here is a link to the entire published study:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/01/22/peds.2013-1809.full.pdf
