A private company warns against having firearms on its property. (State Newsroom file photo.)
A recent report from Children’s Defense Fund Ohio shows that guns are the leading cause of death among children, a statistic that is further exacerbated by a lack of funding and support for gun violence prevention, the group says.
The children’s rights group prepared its latest study on gun violence using national and state youth death data and interviews.
The organization wants the report to serve as a tool for the community and provide recommendations to the Ohio Legislature on ways to address gun violence.
Brianna Booker, the group’s policy associate and author of the report, said Akron, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and the Appalachian state region were represented with participation from groups such as faith communities, local government members, “school safety teams” and even parents of children killed by guns.
The report found that child gun deaths in Ohio are higher than the nation as a whole and remain the “leading cause of death for children and teenagers in Ohio.”
“Among these cases, Black youth and young people living in high-poverty urban areas experience disproportionate harm, while rural communities experience unique risks related to the normalization of firearms and inconsistent safety training,” the report said.
Nationally, the number of newborn people who died from gun-related injuries increased by 68%, according to the health policy organization KFF.
The rising number of firearm deaths also suggests that “many more young people have experienced non-fatal firearm injuries or exposure to firearm-related violence in other ways, which may impact their mental health,” KFF said in its statement. latest data analysis own.
Since 2020, firearm deaths among children 17 and younger have increased compared to motor vehicle deaths in this age group.
Ohio’s gun death rate increased 58% to 2.6 per 100,000 children from 2015 to 2019, rising to 4.1 per 100,000 children from 2020 to 2024, according to KFF data.
The Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio has found that the “profound human toll” of newborn gun deaths has come at a multibillion-dollar economic cost to the state.
“These tragedies are closely linked to preventable risk factors such as unsafe firearm storage, gaps in access to preventative measures, and the lack of comprehensive, evidence-based gun safety policies,” Booker wrote in the report.
“In the absence of strong statewide protections, communities, schools and families have taken on heavy responsibility to prevent violence.”
The organization’s recommendations included the creation of a state-level “violence prevention” office to support firearms education and safety.
At the federal levelthe Trump administration dismantled the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and canceled multimillion-dollar funding for local gun violence programs through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative.
“Tangible solutions to Ohio’s gun violence problem cannot wait,” the Ohio-based organization said.
“Children and families across the state are calling on the General Assembly to take immediate action that is tailored to local context, informed by community input, and free from stigma and assumptions.”
The report also recommended the passage of the Child Access Prevention Act, which would require the sheltered storage of firearms, and the expansion of background checks for private transfers of firearms.
“A background check mandate for private sales would fill a critical gap in Ohio law and help prevent firearms from reaching people who pose a danger to themselves or others,” Booker wrote.
In terms of busy legislation, the group noted support for Ohio House Bill 358requiring multilingual materials on firearms in schools and public spaces.
In recent years, most Republicans in Ohio have repeatedly rolled back gun violence prevention measures and regulations.
In 2022The Republican Legislature passed, and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed, a bill eliminating all training, background checks or permit requirements for concealed weapons in the state.
IN In 2021, Republican lawmakers passed and DeWine signed Ohio’s “stand your ground” law. The Republican-controlled General Assembly has mounted legal challenges and introduced legislation to block gun control measures passed by Ohio cities at the local level.
The firearms bills pending in the Ohio Legislature include Democratic-led bills prohibit the transfer of certain types of firearms no background check to create tax relief for training in handguns and firearms storage, and prohibit the possession of firearms for certain domestic violence offences.
The Republican-led bills include measures to: create exceptions for owners of concealed means of transportand one that would allow possession of firearms and ammunition exempt from state sales and operate taxes.
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