Since 2020, firearms have been the leading cause of death for children between ages one and 17. In 2021, about 4.6 million children lived in homes that stored guns loaded and unlocked, even though firearms are the leading injury method of accidental deaths. In 2021, of the nearly 17,000 high school students surveyed, 3% reported bringing a weapon to school at least once during the previous 30 days.
Awareness of funding research-backed solutions to gun injuries can boost hope for the cause. The University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention runs substantial studies and interventions based on its firearm injury analysis. The institute prides itself on research, developing programs in communities to change behaviors about gun safety and tracking which policies reduce firearm fatalities. The institute’s arms of outreach include free programs for communities to interrupt cycles of gun violence.