Gun-Related Deaths Take Top Spot: A Look at US College-Aged Victims
Revamped Take:
In the wake of a tragic shooting at Florida State University that claimed two lives and left six others injured, Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention organization, took to social media to highlight the issue. They claimed, "Gun violence is the leading killer of college-aged people in the U.S." This assertion, as it turns out, isn't just hype; it's grounded in facts.
Last year, Everytown for Gun Safety, the parent organization of Moms Demand Action, released a report based on 2021 CDC data, revealing a startling truth. Firearms were found to be the number one cause of death for individuals aged 18 to 25. Furthermore, a 2022 study published in the journal Pediatrics affirmed that firearms are the foremost cause of death for children and youth aged 0 to 24 in the United States.
When PolitiFact cross-checked these findings with the CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, it found that, in 2023, firearms accounted for the highest number of deaths in the 18-25 age group, with a total of 8,086. For those aged 24 and 25, drug poisoning took the lead.
CDC data showed that accidents, suicides, and homicides were the leading causes of death among individuals aged 18 to 25. However, firearm-related fatalities are included in all three categories. Brian Tsai, a CDC spokesperson, explained that while the agency doesn't rank firearm deaths as a leading cause of death due to their widespread occurrence across categories, firearms are indeed the leading mechanism of injury mortality.
According to the CDC, unintentional injuries accounted for the highest number of deaths among individuals aged 18 to 25 in 2023 (14,238), followed by suicide (5,632) and homicide (5,060). Dissecting deaths by firearm reveals that the majority were homicides (4,651), followed by suicides (3,158).
While gun-rights advocates question whether the term "gun violence" should encompass suicides, both Canada and Australia included firearm suicides in their definition of gun violence. The language and criteria used in surveys regarding gun violence can vary, leading to varying interpretations of what constitutes gun violence.
According to experts, including Daniel Webster, a distinguished scholar for the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, and Veronica Pear, a social epidemiologist at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, the Moms Demand Action statement is accurate.
Although shootings on school and college grounds may not represent a significant portion of firearm-related deaths among young people aged 18 to 25, the prevalence of firearm violence remains a pressing concern. From 2013 to the present, there have been 463 deaths from gunfire on school grounds, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Additionally, an average of 4,300 children and teens under the age of 19 were shot and killed each year from 2019 to 2023.
Our Verdict:
Based on expert analysis and the data available, we rate the Moms Demand Action statement as True.
- In light of a college shooting that resulted in two fatalities and six injuries, Moms Demand Action asserted that firearms are the leading killers of college-aged people in the U.S.
- The statement made by Moms Demand Action was substantiated by a report published by Everytown for Gun Safety in 2021, based on 2021 CDC data.
- The report revealed that firearms were the leading cause of death for individuals aged 18 to 25.
- In 2022, a study published in the journal Pediatrics further confirmed this finding, stating that firearms are the primary cause of death for children and youth aged 0 to 24 in the U.S.
- PolitiFact cross-checked these findings with CDC data in 2023 and found that, for individuals aged 18 to 25, firearms accounted for the highest number of deaths, with 8,086 fatalities.
- According to the CDC, firearm-related fatalities were the leading mechanism of injury mortality for individuals aged 18 to 25.
- In 2023, unintentional injuries had the highest number of deaths among individuals aged 18 to 25, with 14,238 deaths, followed by suicides (5,632) and homicides (5,060).
- Experts, including Daniel Webster and Veronica Pear, have affirmed the accuracy of the Moms Demand Action statement, despite the prevalence of firearm violence not exclusively being limited to school and college grounds.
