Children’s Defense Fund
The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show that 3,006 children and teens died from gunfire in the United States in 2005, the first annual increase since 1994 and the first rise in gun deaths since Congress allowed the Assault Weapons Ban to expire in 2004. More than five times as many children and teens suffered non-fatal gun injuries. Almost 90 percent of the children and teens killed by firearms in 2005 were boys.
Black children and teens are more likely to be victims of firearm homicide. A black male has a 1 in 72 chance of being killed by a firearm before his 30th birthday; a white male has a 1 in 344 chance. But eight times as many white children and teens committed suicide by gun as black children and teens. Since 1979, gun violence has killed 104,419 children and teens in the United States. Free, 15 pages. (202) 628-8787, http://www.childrensdefense.org.
