MINNEAPOLIS — There's an alarming trend happening in the U.S. involving guns and kids.
According to a new research letter from the New England Journal of Medicine, guns were the leading cause of death for kids and teens for the first time ever in 2020.
Just this week, a 9-year-old girl was shot and killed in Marshall, Minnesota, and a 10-year-old boy died in Minneapolis.
According to the letter, the data was collected among children ages 1 to 19 in 2020, leading over other causes like car accidents and cancer.
More than 4,300 children died from gun-related injuries in 2020, which was up 29% from 2019, showing homicides claiming more lives than suicides.
Which Florida Gulf Coast University forensic studies professor Dr. David Thomas says is no surprise.
"There's this black market, so to speak, on the street level where kids know, people know, where to go get a gun. I mean, they're out there for anybody to get as long as you have the right connection," said Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas says it's going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to end these preventable killings.
"The best way to deal with this is maybe trying to redirect kids into activities in something that's meaningful in life," said Dr. Thomas. He went on to explain, "That has to take place, I think, to get parents, schools, and get the medical community as well as law enforcement, all on the same page to make a difference."
Experts say one of the biggest factors contributing to an increase in gun-related childhood deaths is playing out on social media.
"We have been able to go back and track the violence. You can track it by watching what happens on Facebook where there's a beef or argument that starts and they go back and forth, and ultimately, it culminates a shooting into a murder," said Dr. Thomas. He went on to say, "In their mind, there's no concept of what death is, and really, death is final."
Experts say there's been an increase in gun ownership nationwide since the start of the pandemic, exposing more than 5 million minors to guns in the home — which is why police are urging parents to be responsible by making sure guns are locked away in safe spaces.
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