New data released Monday by advocate group Everytown for Gun Safety finds that involuntary fatalities of children increased 31% between March and December 2020 over the same period last year. The data, which was shared in advance with CBS News, also shows that the severe trend continued during the first half of 2021, with a child involved in an involuntary shooting almost once a day.
Researchers at the organization believe that increase in arms sales across the country and more children at home due to COVID blockages contributed to the increase. Data from the group show that most involuntary child abuse occurs at home.
The data provides a broader picture of the tragic incidents since 2015, when the group began tracking the shootings based on media reports. The group’s #NotAnAccident index shows that from 2015 to 2020 there were at least 2,070 involuntary shootings of under-18s, causing 765 deaths and 1,366 injuries.
Between March and December 2019, Everytown found 255 incidents that resulted in 169 injuries and 98 deaths. A year later, during the peak of the closures, the group recorded 313 incidents, causing 198 injuries and 128 deaths.
During the first six months of 2021, the group found 186 incidents, the highest in that time period. At this rate, incidents in 2021 would almost exceed the previous high of 383 in 2017.
“The good news about this discouragement is that these incidents can be largely prevented,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, research director at Everytown. Burd-Sharps said that with a broader understanding of when and where incidents happen and to whom, “we can double down if we keep these weapons stored safely and doing so saves lives.”
Research shows that children account for the majority of involuntary shooters (83%) and most children are victims of involuntary shooting by children (91%). It also shows that incidents are more likely to occur in states with lax weapons storage laws and that incidents are more likely to occur in a home.
Shots are more likely to occur during periods of time when children are at home from school, such as weekends or holidays. Burd-Sharps said school closures during the pandemic likely contributed to the increase in involuntary traits seen in 2020.
Adolescents ages 14 to 17 are likely to be shooters or victims of involuntary shooting, followed by preschool children five years of age or younger. Toddlers and toddlers have no understanding of the possible consequences of grabbing a gun – “it’s just a completely innocent and ultimately incredibly tragic situation,” Burd-Sharps said.
Many teenagers who fired unintentionally played with a gun with friends and did not know the gun was loaded.
Burd-Sharps said that even if parents who own guns safely store guns at home, there are many involuntary traits in a home the child visits.
“It’s not enough to store weapons safely at home and talk to your children about guns; you also need to ask about guns at any home that a child visits,” said Burd-Sharps, leading parents to resources available online through BeSmart’s Everytown public education program.
Burd-Sharps stressed the importance of safe storage of weapons. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the safest way to prevent involuntary shooting of children is to have no weapons at home. In the absence of this, they recommend storing unloaded and locked weapons with ammunition stored in a separate place.