a safer world for them…

We use evidence-based data and personal testimony to support our expert opinion that improved gun safety legislation can help save lives

On Call 4 Kids Mission Statement

Background

Goldstick, et al.

Firearm-related injuries are now the leading cause of death in children, surpassing motor vehicle accidents for the first time in decades. Additionally, there is significant health disparity in the effects of firearm violence. Although Black children make up 14% of the youth U.S. population, they account for 46% of youth firearm deaths. Whether exposed to mass shootings or day-to-day violence, children, their families, and their communities are suffering lifelong physical and mental impairments as a result.

KFF

Gun violence is a public health epidemic, and the only thing that will reduce the burden of firearms on our children is an effective public health approach that includes legislation that is proven to reduce the risk of harm to children in the United States. There are proven and effective legislative tools that can save the lives of children in our country. 

As an example, a 2022 mixed models study draws this comparison: In 1999, the national pediatric fatality rate for automobile injuries was a statistically significant 248% higher than that of firearm injuries. By 2020, the national pediatric fatality rate for automobile injuries was a statistically significant 16% lower than that of firearm injuries.

We urge all members of Congress to support three specific pieces of legislation as part of a comprehensive public health strategy – child access prevention; a federal ban on assault weapons; and universal background screening. 

References

  • Goldstick JE, Cunningham RM, Carter PM. Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2022 May 19;386(20):1955-1956.
  • Panchal, N. (2022, October 14). The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Adolescents. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.kff.org/
  • American Academy of Pediatrics: Firearms Violence Prevention Demands a Public Safety Approach Like Regulation of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/conference-news-releases/american-academy-of-pediatrics–firearms-violence-prevention-demands-a-public-safety-approach-like-regulation-of-motor-vehicles
  • Stevens J, Pickett K, Reppucci ML, Nolan M, Moulton SL. National trends in pediatric firearm and automobile fatalities. J Pediatr Surg. 2023 Jan;58(1):130-135
  • Blumenthal, R. (2023, January 31). Ethan’s Law: Safe Storage Saves Lives. Ethan’s Law One Pager. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/01312023ethans_lawonepager.pdf
  • Salhi C, Azrael D, Miller M. Parent and Adolescent Reports of Adolescent Access to Household Firearms in the United States. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Mar 1;4(3):e210989
  • Anestis MD, Moceri-Brooks J, Johnson RL, Bryan CJ, Stanley IH, Buck-Atkinson JT, Baker JC, Betz ME. Assessment of Firearm Storage Practices in the US, 2022. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e231447
  • Safe Storage of Firearms. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/state-advocacy/safe-storage-of-firearms/
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  • Protecting America’s Schools. A US Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Protecting_Americas_Schools.pdf
  • Miller M, Azrael D. Firearm Storage in US Households With Children: Findings From the 2021 National Firearm Survey. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Feb 1;5(2):e2148823.
  • DiMaggio C, Avraham J, Berry C et al. Changes in US mass shooting deaths associated with the 1994-2004 federal assault weapons ban: Analysis of open-source data. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2018; 86: 11-19. DOI: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002060 
  • Schaeffer, K. (2021, September 13). Key facts about Americans and guns. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/
  • Koper CS, Johnson WD, Nichols JL, Ayers A, Mullins N. Criminal use of assault weapons and high-capacity semiautomatic firearms: an updated examination of local and national sources. J Urban Health 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11524-017-0205-7 
  • Assault weapons ban of 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.bradyunited.org/legislation/assault-weapon-ban-2021
  • Katsiyannis A, Rapa LJ, Whitford DK, Scott SN. An Examination of US School Mass Shootings, 2017-2022: Findings and Implications. Adv Neurodev Disord. 2023;7(1):66-76
  • Thomsen I. News@Northeastern. In wake of Colorado Springs massacre, 2022 is deadliest year for mass shootings, Northeastern expert says. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/11/21/mass-shootings-record-year/ 
  • Giffords: Courage to fight gun violence. Mass Shootings. Available at: https://giffords.org/issues/mass-shootings/ 
  • Brady United. What are assault weapons and high-capacity magazines? Available at: https://www.bradyunited.org/fact-sheets/what-are-assault-weapons-and-high-capacity magazines 
  • Rhee, PM, Moore EE, Joseph B, Tang A, Pandit V, Vercruysse G. Gunshot wounds: A review of ballistics, bullets, weapons, and myths. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2016; 80(6): 853-867. 
  • Lee LK, Fleegler EW, Goyal MK, Doh KF, Laraque-Arena D, Hoffman BD, Injury Violence And Poison Prevention CO. Firearm-Related Injuries and Deaths in Children and Youth: Injury Prevention and Harm Reduction. Pediatrics. 2022 Oct 8
  • Governor Bill Lee. An order enhancing protective procedures for the purchase of firearms. https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/execorders/exec-orders-lee100.pdf
  • FBI. Firearm Checks. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/nics
  • Everytown Research and Policy. Undeniable: How Long-Standing Loopholes in the Background Check System Have Been Exacerbated by COVID-19. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://everytownresearch.org/report/background-check-loopholes/
  • Miller M, Hepburn L, Azrael D. Firearm Acquisition Without Background Checks: Results of a National Survey. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Feb 21;166(4):233-239
  • Timsina LR, Qiao N, Mongalo AC, Vetor AN, Carroll AE, Bell TM. National Instant Criminal Background Check and Youth Gun Carrying. Pediatrics. 2020 Jan;145(1):e20191071
  • Goyal MK, Badolato GM, Patel SJ, Iqbal SF, Parikh K, McCarter R. State Gun Laws and Pediatric Firearm-Related Mortality. Pediatrics. 2019 Aug;144(2):e20183283. 
  • Webster D, Crifasi CK, Vernick JS. Effects of the repeal of Missouri’s handgun purchaser licensing law on homicides. J Urban Health. 2014 Apr;91(2):293-302. doi: 10.1007/s11524-014-9865-8. Erratum in: J Urban Health. 2014 Jun;91(3):598-601.
  • Everytown Research and Policy. Five Things to Know About Crime Guns, Gun Trafficking, and Background Checks. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://everytownresearch.org/report/five-things-to-know-about-crime-guns/