Youth Development/Afterschool/Violence-Youth Violence

002 DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL 04/09/98 14:21 FAX 202 456 5557 202 622 1452 P.02/09 vcr OF THE THE TRBASURY DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20220 17A9 February 1998 Youth Firearm Violence Key Facts Patrick M. Bell, Policy Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary for Enforcement Department of the Treasury Although firearm deaths began decreasing in 1994, both the number and rate of deaths from firearm violence for those 19 and under remain at historic highs. While the number of firearm deaths for those 19 and under has deceased from a high of 5,931 in 1993 to 5,285 in 1995 there still were an average of 5,282 deaths a year from 1990 to 1995. This represents a 50 percent increase over the average of 3,517 firearm fatalities that occurred from 1980 to 1989. Overall, an average of 4,233 persons aged 19 and under have died annually from firearm injuries from 1980 to 1995. Figures 1 and 2 depict this increase.¹ The main factor affecting this rise was the sharp increase in the average annual number of firearm homicides. There were an average of 3,314 firearm homicides for those 19 and under from 1990 to 1995. This represents a 105 percent increase over the average of 1,615 firearm homicides that occurred between 1980 and 1989. Overall, an average of 2,252 persons aged 19 and under died annually from firearm homicides from 1980 to 1995. Figures 3 and 4 display this incrcase.² Firearm related suicides have increased as well, but at a slower rate. From 1990 to 1995 there were and average of 1,468 firearm suicides. This represents an increase of 18 percent over the average of 1,249 firearm suicides from 1980 to 1989. Overall, an average of 1,331 firearm suicides for those aged 19 and under occurred from 1980 to 95. Figures 5 and 0 display this increasc' Unintentional firearm deaths have decreased significantly since 1980, but youths aged 19 and under have consistently accounted for a significant percentage of these deaths. From 1980 to 1995, over one third of all unintentional firearm deaths occurred among those aged 19 and under, with an average of 533 deaths annually. Overall, those aged 15 to 19 had the highest annual average of unintentional firearm deaths of any age group, at 285 deaths per year.4 Males aged 15 to 19 have the fastest rising firearm death rate. In 1994, the overall firearm death rate (comprised of homicide, suicide, and unintentional deaths, deaths associated with legal intervention and those of unknown origin) for this age group reached 49.2 per 100,000 population, more than double the rate of 22.3 per 100,000 in 1985, During the same time period, the overall age-adjusted firearm death rate rose only 18 percent, from 12.7 to 15.1 deaths per 100,000 population. Even with the recent decline in firearm deaths in 1995, the death rate for males aged 15 to 19 was 42.4 per 100,000 population, more than triple the rate of 13.9 pcr 100,000 population for the population as a whole. The main factor influencing this rise was the number of firearm homicides. This increase is exemplified by the 129 percent increase in the firearm homicide rate among males aged 15 to 19. Overall, there were 31,953 firearm homicides from 1980 to 1995 among those aged 15 to 19. This number went from 1,743 in 1980 to 3,249 in 1995. These increases have far outstripped any growth that can be accounted for with demographic factors and point to a rising tide of violence that has heretofore not been successfully addressed by public policies at the local, state or federal level. In the last two years, however, there has been a reduction in the number of firearm homicides in this age group as well,⁵