Ever wonder how politicians manipulate data to sell their narrative? After the tragic school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, in March 2023, the gun control debate reignited fiercely. Amidst the mourning, some were quick to amplify fresh data, claiming guns were the number-one killer of children in America. Even former President Barack Obama tweeted just hours after the shooting, stating, “We are failing our children. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the US.” California Governor Gavin Newsom recently echoed this misleading statistic to gain support for his initiative for a Constitutional Convention for gun safety.
This sparked a national conversation, shifting from grief to calls for stricter gun control. But was Obama’s assertion accurate, or was it political hyperbole designed to fuel anxiety? Nearly half of parents surveyed by Pew Research in fall 2022 worried about their kids getting shot, so the statement certainly resonated. However, as we peel back the layers and look deeper, the narrative starts to break down.
While the number of children being shot in America has risen, the claim that guns are the top killer of children needs scrutiny. Analyzing CDC data, one can conclude that guns are the leading cause of death for children if the definitions are altered and specific age groups and date ranges are cherry-picked. For example, the claim holds if you consider the age group of one to nineteen years old, excluding infants under one and including eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds. If these older teenagers are removed from the definition of children, the leading cause of death for those under eighteen is vehicle-related accidents, not shootings.
The real problem this data present is the staggering amount of gun deaths with minority teenagers in big cities, not “kids.” Digging deeper, the majority of gun deaths for the one to nineteen age group are among eighteen- and nineteen-year-old teenagers. Black teenage adults in this age range are six times more likely to die from gun violence compared to White children. Children in big cities face three times the risk of gun violence compared to those in small towns, with most deaths being homicides, not accidents or suicides. There’s also no specification if these are school shootings. These are the facts.
Gun-related deaths among minors did spike during the pandemic, with 1,732 deaths in 2019 rising to 2,590 in 2021. This increase corresponds to a rise from 2.4 to 3.5 gun-related deaths per 100,000 minors when adjusted for population growth. However, focusing solely on these years highlights an anomaly likely influenced by pandemic-related psychological strain and increased time spent at home where guns are accessible.
Recapping Obama and Newsom’s statements: it holds true if you 1) exclude infants under one, 2) include teenage adults as children, and 3) focus on pandemic years when gun deaths spiked.
Looking at the broader picture, while the absolute number of gun deaths rose, the rate of gun deaths—considering population growth—remained below levels seen in earlier decades. This demonstrates a common tactic of using raw data instead of relative terms to push a specific agenda.
Peeling back these layers reveals how narratives are constructed to fit specific agendas. By thinking like a Black Sheep and questioning the data presented, we can uncover the truth. Dive deeper into how to sharpen your critical thinking skills and see through the manipulation by reading more in Think Like a Black Sheep. Start your journey today and learn to see the world with clarity and purpose.
