Latest news with #JeremyFaust
Straits Times
a day ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Looser gun laws tied to thousands more US child shooting deaths
Dr Jeremy Faust said firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - US states that loosened their gun laws following a landmark court ruling saw thousands more childhood firearm deaths than they otherwise would have – the vast majority homicides and suicides – according to a study published on June 9. Dr Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and lead author of the paper in Jama Paediatrics, told AFP he was drawn to the topic as a father wondering whether today's world is safer for children than when he was growing up. 'Mortality from car accidents has fallen dramatically, but at the same time, firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one,' he said – a trend unique among peer nations. To probe this shift, Dr Faust and his colleagues analysed state-level data before and after McDonald v Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that extended the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The ruling sparked a wave of legislation, some tightening gun laws but much of it loosening them. The team grouped states into three categories – most permissive, permissive, and strict – and used Centres for Disease Control data on firearm deaths among children aged 0-17. They ran an 'excess mortality analysis,' comparing actual deaths from 2011 to 2023 against projections based on prior trends from 1999 to 2010 and population growth. The results were stark: more than 7,400 excess paediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened gun laws – including over 6,000 in the most permissive group of states. By contrast, the eight strictest states overall saw no excess deaths. The model predicted 4,267 fatalities, while 4,212 were recorded – a near-match that bolstered confidence in the analysis. 'The biggest thing people always want to know is, what's the intent behind these?' said Dr Faust. 'And I think what surprises most people is that accidents are a very small number of these deaths – it's mostly homicide and suicide.' While the study showed strong associations, it cannot prove causation – a key limitation. But in a test of whether broader increases in violence might explain the trend, rather than changes to the law, the team analysed non-firearm homicides and suicides and found no similar rise, a result that makes the findings 'pretty compelling,' said Dr Faust. Black children saw the steepest increases. While the reasons are unclear, the authors speculated that disparities in safe firearm storage could play a role. There were some exceptions. Deaths rose in Illinois and Connecticut despite tighter laws – though in the latter case, the spike was entirely attributable to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting at an elementary school. 'Big picture, we have a major problem in this country,' said Dr Faust. 'But we also have a handful of states that are resisting these increases and, in fact, turning the other direction.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Looser gun laws tied to thousands more US child shooting deaths
US states that loosened their gun laws following a landmark court ruling saw thousands more childhood firearm deaths than they otherwise would have -- the vast majority homicides and suicides -- according to a study published Monday. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and lead author of the paper in JAMA Pediatrics, told AFP he was drawn to the topic as a father wondering whether today's world is safer for children than when he was growing up. "Mortality from car accidents has fallen dramatically, but at the same time, firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one," he said -- a trend unique among peer nations. To probe this shift, Faust and his colleagues analyzed state-level data before and after McDonald v Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that extended the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The ruling sparked a wave of legislation, some tightening gun laws but much of it loosening them. The team grouped states into three categories -- most permissive, permissive, and strict -- and used Centers for Disease Control data on firearm deaths among children aged 0–17. They ran an "excess mortality analysis," comparing actual deaths from 2011 to 2023 against projections based on prior trends from 1999 to 2010 and population growth. The results were stark: more than 7,400 excess pediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened gun laws -- including over 6,000 in the most permissive group of states. By contrast, the eight strictest states overall saw no excess deaths. The model predicted 4,267 fatalities, while 4,212 were recorded -- a near-match that bolstered confidence in the analysis. "The biggest thing people always want to know is, what's the intent behind these?" said Faust. "And I think what surprises most people is that accidents are a very small number of these deaths -- it's mostly homicide and suicide." While the study showed strong associations, it cannot prove causation -- a key limitation. But in a test of whether broader increases in violence might explain the trend, rather than changes to the law, the team analyzed non-firearm homicides and suicides and found no similar rise, a result that makes the findings "pretty compelling," said Faust. Black children saw the steepest increases. While the reasons are unclear, the authors speculated that disparities in safe firearm storage could play a role. There were some exceptions. Deaths rose in Illinois and Connecticut despite tighter laws -- though in the latter case, the spike was entirely attributable to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting at an elementary school. "Big picture, we have a major problem in this country," said Faust. "But we also have a handful of states that are resisting these increases and, in fact, turning the other direction." ia/aha
France 24
a day ago
- Health
- France 24
Looser gun laws tied to thousands more US child shooting deaths
Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and lead author of the paper in JAMA Pediatrics, told AFP he was drawn to the topic as a father wondering whether today's world is safer for children than when he was growing up. "Mortality from car accidents has fallen dramatically, but at the same time, firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one," he said -- a trend unique among peer nations. To probe this shift, Faust and his colleagues analyzed state-level data before and after McDonald v Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that extended the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The ruling sparked a wave of legislation, some tightening gun laws but much of it loosening them. The team grouped states into three categories -- most permissive, permissive, and strict -- and used Centers for Disease Control data on firearm deaths among children aged 0–17. They ran an "excess mortality analysis," comparing actual deaths from 2011 to 2023 against projections based on prior trends from 1999 to 2010 and population growth. The results were stark: more than 7,400 excess pediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened gun laws -- including over 6,000 in the most permissive group of states. By contrast, the eight strictest states overall saw no excess deaths. The model predicted 4,267 fatalities, while 4,212 were recorded -- a near-match that bolstered confidence in the analysis. "The biggest thing people always want to know is, what's the intent behind these?" said Faust. "And I think what surprises most people is that accidents are a very small number of these deaths -- it's mostly homicide and suicide." While the study showed strong associations, it cannot prove causation -- a key limitation. But in a test of whether broader increases in violence might explain the trend, rather than changes to the law, the team analyzed non-firearm homicides and suicides and found no similar rise, a result that makes the findings "pretty compelling," said Faust. Black children saw the steepest increases. While the reasons are unclear, the authors speculated that disparities in safe firearm storage could play a role. There were some exceptions. Deaths rose in Illinois and Connecticut despite tighter laws -- though in the latter case, the spike was entirely attributable to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting at an elementary school. "Big picture, we have a major problem in this country," said Faust. "But we also have a handful of states that are resisting these increases and, in fact, turning the other direction."
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Looser gun laws tied to thousands more US child shooting deaths
WASHINGTON: US states that loosened their gun laws following a landmark court ruling saw thousands more childhood firearm deaths than they otherwise would have -- the vast majority homicides and suicides -- according to a study published Monday. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and lead author of the paper in JAMA Pediatrics, told AFP he was drawn to the topic as a father wondering whether today's world is safer for children than when he was growing up. "Mortality from car accidents has fallen dramatically, but at the same time, firearm mortality rose and replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death in children over the age of one," he said -- a trend unique among peer nations. Washington Post reveals US weapons used by terrorists in attacks To probe this shift, Faust and his colleagues analyzed state-level data before and after McDonald v Chicago, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that extended the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The ruling sparked a wave of legislation, some tightening gun laws but much of it loosening them. The team grouped states into three categories -- most permissive, permissive, and strict -- and used Centers for Disease Control data on firearm deaths among children aged 0-17. They ran an "excess mortality analysis," comparing actual deaths from 2011 to 2023 against projections based on prior trends from 1999 to 2010 and population growth. The results were stark: more than 7,400 excess pediatric firearm deaths in states that loosened gun laws -- including over 6,000 in the most permissive group of states. By contrast, the eight strictest states overall saw no excess deaths. The model predicted 4,267 fatalities, while 4,212 were recorded -- a near-match that bolstered confidence in the analysis. "The biggest thing people always want to know is, what's the intent behind these?" said Faust. "And I think what surprises most people is that accidents are a very small number of these deaths -- it's mostly homicide and suicide." While the study showed strong associations, it cannot prove causation -- a key limitation. But in a test of whether broader increases in violence might explain the trend, rather than changes to the law, the team analyzed non-firearm homicides and suicides and found no similar rise, a result that makes the findings "pretty compelling," said Faust. Black children saw the steepest increases. While the reasons are unclear, the authors speculated that disparities in safe firearm storage could play a role. There were some exceptions. Deaths rose in Illinois and Connecticut despite tighter laws -- though in the latter case, the spike was entirely attributable to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting at an elementary school. "Big picture, we have a major problem in this country," said Faust. "But we also have a handful of states that are resisting these increases and, in fact, turning the other direction."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gun deaths among children surge after states loosen firearm laws, new study finds
A new study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics found that over 7,000 more children died from firearm-related injuries in the years following a 2010 Supreme Court decision that gave states greater power to set their own gun laws. Most of those deaths occurred in states that opted to make it easier to purchase and carry firearms. The study, led by Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine doctor with Mass General Brigham, found a sharp increase in gun-related deaths among children and teens ages 0 to 17 beginning in 2011, following the 2010 McDonald v. Chicago decision, which ruled that the Second Amendment's right to bear arms was applicable to all states and municipalities and ultimately overturned municipal handgun bans like the one previously enforced in Chicago. Over the 12-year post-decision period, researchers estimate more than 6,000 excess deaths occurred in states with the most permissive gun laws. Another 1,400 excess deaths occurred in states that made their laws more permissive but were not in the most extreme group. Meanwhile, four states -- California, New York, Maryland, and Rhode Island, all of which had strict laws -- saw significant drops in pediatric gun deaths. Parkland school shooting 7 years later: Remembering the 17 victims "States that made it easier to obtain and carry a firearm had a tradeoff for that, which was a higher rate of mortality in kids," Faust said. Researchers analyzed more than two decades of data, comparing trends in gun-related deaths before and after the legal shift. They adjusted for background trends and compared gun deaths to other causes like motor vehicle accidents, overdoses, and cancer. The increase in deaths was not part of a broader rise in youth mortality -- it was specific to firearms. This wasn't just about overall violence going up, Faust told ABC News. The change in gun deaths was far greater than any other trend the study looked at, including deaths involving motor vehicle accidents, overdose and even cancer, he said. Firearms are now the leading cause of death in children and teens in the United States, a distinction not seen in other developed countries. During the 25-year study period, guns were involved in 4% of all pediatric deaths, outpacing motor vehicle crashes and cancer. The study also found that the increases in firearm deaths were not confined to a single demographic or region. Rates rose in both urban and rural areas, and among all racial and ethnic groups studied. However, non-Hispanic Black children and teens were disproportionately affected in states that had loosened gun laws. Most of the pediatric gun deaths were not accidental. They were homicides and suicides, deaths that might have been prevented with safer policies or better storage laws, according to the study. In fact, researchers noted that unintentional shootings made up a small share of overall deaths. HHS appears to delete Surgeon General gun violence advisory webpage Faust acknowledged that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and that each state may need tailored approaches to address gun violence. He called for continued research and collaboration with policymakers to determine which gun safety laws save the most lives and emphasized the importance of evidence-based policymaking, comparing gun laws to the nationwide mandates for child car seats. "You can't leave the hospital with a newborn unless you have the right car seat in all 50 states," he noted. "That's because vehicle collisions up until a few years ago were the leading cause of mortality outside of infancy." Dr. Ilan Kokotek is a board-certified family physician completing training in preventive medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit. Gun deaths among children surge after states loosen firearm laws, new study finds originally appeared on
