Enough lied. Democrats, not Republicans, are to blame for most child gun deaths

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The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee stopped in New York this week to “examine how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime and anti-victim policies have led to an increase violent crime and to a dangerous community for New York City residents.” As witnesses, the hearing included family members of New York City gun violence victims, as well as other victims of Bragg’s soft approach to crime.

House Democrats have done their best to smear fellow Republicans as trying to pull off a stunt to distract from former President Donald Trump’s indictment. At times, they called witnesses props and accused Republicans of not caring about crime and violence because if they did, they would be supporting Democrats’ efforts to implement gun control. .

“Gun violence is now the number one killer of children in America and kills 40,000 Americans a year, and my colleagues repeatedly vote against even the most sensible gun violence prevention measures,” the rep said. David Cicilline (D-RI) during the hearing.

But invoking gun control measures during a crime hearing is the best of gaslighting, as is invoking the statistic that gun violence kills 40,000 children a year. A closer look at this statistic shows that it is the Democrats who are failing most of these kids, not the Republicans.

The figures come from a new report from the Pew Research Center, which found that firearm deaths among children have increased by 50% in just two years. The report analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and found that in 2022 alone, there were more than 2,500 gun deaths among children aged 0-17. This marks a significant increase from 2019, when there were just over 1,700 gun deaths.

The report found that homicides were the largest category of firearm deaths among children in 2021, accounting for 60% of the total, followed by suicide, which accounted for 32%. Accidental firearm deaths accounted for five percent.

But gun deaths from homicide and suicide gun deaths were not evenly distributed among the different communities. The report found that black children were five times more likely than white children to die from gunshot wounds. Forty-six percent of gun deaths involved black victims, despite making up only 14 percent of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, white children were more likely to die by suicide.

And unfortunately, given what we know from this data, gun control restrictions are not likely to have much impact in ending these deaths, for the simple fact that most of those who shoot on children and adolescents do so with illegally obtained firearms. .

Those who advocate for more gun control measures cannot adequately explain how these laws would save lives. Criminals who engage in violence do not obey the law, so simply passing more laws will not necessarily prevent gun violence. The vast majority of criminals commit their crimes using firearms that they have obtained illegally. More restrictions on lawful gun owners will do nothing to solve this problem, even if it may endanger people who would otherwise be able to protect themselves.

People like Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who made headlines after arguing with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) over gun control, love to shout about how the government must limit gun ownership as a way to curb gun violence. Yet in Bowman’s own district, gun crime has increased dramatically despite New York City having some of the strictest gun laws.

After suicide, most gun violence is gang-related, a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses root causes such as poverty, substandard education and lack of opportunity, as well as than better, more efficient and more consistent policing. And making it harder for law-abiding Americans to keep and carry guns won’t solve that problem. It will only put them in danger.

Research shows that the overwhelming majority of defensive firearm uses are never reported to law enforcement or the media; a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there are up to 3 million defensive uses of firearms per year in the United States.

The family of Johnny Gaston, who was recently murdered, attends a House Judiciary Committee field hearing on violent crimes in New York on April 17, 2023 at the Javits Federal Building in New York City. Presidential Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has been a leading critic of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since he announced that a grand jury had indicted former President Donald Trump in an alleged secret money scheme to silence adult movie star Stormy Daniels before the presidential election. election in 2016. Bragg criticized the congressional investigation as unconstitutional. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

These statistics demonstrate that firearms can play an important role in self-defense and personal protection. It could also allow adults to defend their children against gun violence.

The figures from the Pew Research Center study should disturb any conscientious American. But the bottom line is that targeting legitimate gun owners will not reduce the number of firearm homicides among children and adolescents. Addressing the root issues that lead to more violent crime, as well as addressing the problem of illegally obtained firearms, will save more lives. The question is: when will our politicians get on board?

Jeff Charles is the host of the “A Fresh Perspective” podcast and a contributor for RedState and Liberty Nation.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

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