20 children hospitalized for gun injuries every day in US

Published October 27, 2015

Every day, gun injuries send 20 children and teenagers to the hospital in the United States.

A new study from Yale University, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that 7,391 younger patients are hospitalized each year as a result of a firearm injury – and 453 of these patients (around 6 percent) ultimately die from their injuries.

Assault accounted for the majority of the injuries, but other injuries were caused by gun accidents. The most common types of injuries included open wounds, fractures and internal injuries of the thorax, abdomen or pelvis.

According to the study’s authors, their findings reveal the need for more education about gun safety in the U.S.

"These data highlight the toll of gun-related injuries that extends beyond high-profile cases, and those children and adolescents who die before being hospitalized. Pediatricians and other health care providers can play an important role in preventing these injuries through counseling about firearm safety, including safe storage," said Dr. John Leventhal, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

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