Adolescent firearm violence: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

Firearm violence is one of the most serious threats to the ealth of adolescents in the United States. In 2002, 277 outh aged 10 to 14 years and 2474 youth aged 15 to 19 ears were killed by firearms [1]. Several-fold more are reated in emergency rooms each year for nonfatal injuries, any of them resulting in permanent disabilities. National stimates indicate that in 2003 there were 704 youth aged 10 o 14 years and 11,014 youth aged 15 to 19 years with mergency department visits for nonfatal gunshot injuries 1]. Among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, firearm deaths utnumber deaths from any disease category and rank secnd only to motor vehicles among causes of injury-related eaths [1]. Within some demographic areas and subgroups, rearm deaths surpass deaths from any other cause. Considerable evidence indicates that availability and acess to firearms increases the risk of homicide, suicide, and nintentional gun injury in the home and in the community 2–6]. Yet firearms are present in 35% of U.S. households ith children younger than 18 years, and 43% of these omes have at least one unlocked firearm [7]. Nationwide, % of youth completing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 003 reported carrying a gun on at least one of the 30 days receding the survey [8]. From 1983 to 1993, the sharp rise in homicides in the nited States was tied to an increase in the use of firearms n the commission of crimes; likewise, the significant deline in homicide arrests from 1993 to 1999 can be traced argely to a drop in firearm use [9]. Among youth aged 15 o 19 years, firearm-related suicides accounted for 96% of