NCJ Number
144116
Journal
Monthly Vital Statistics Report Volume: 39 Issue: 11, supplement Dated: (March 14, 1991) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Firearm mortality among children between 1 and 14 years of age was relatively stable during the 1979-1988 period, with one exception; for black females between 10 and 14 years of age, the firearm death rate more than doubled between 1987 and 1988.
Abstract
Data obtained from death certificates filed in the 50 States and the District of Columbia showed that the increase for black females accounted for about 30 percent of the increase in the death rate for all causes for this group of children. Among persons between 25 and 34 years of age, firearm mortality decreased during the period. Among young persons between 15 and 24 years of age, firearm mortality increased substantially between 1984 and 1988. In particular, the homicide rate associated with firearms for black males aged 15 to 19 years more than doubled by 1988. Further, for young black males aged 20 to 24 years, the firearm homicide rate in 1988 was 1.6 times what it was in 1984. In 1988, firearms accounted for 20 percent of all deaths among young persons between 15 and 24 years of age. Among black males in this age range, 44 percent of all deaths resulted from firearms. In 1988, of 2.7 million black males aged 15 to 24 years, 2,700 (1 of every 1,000) died as the result of an incident involving a firearm. 5 references, 2 tables, and 6 figures