Firearm-related deaths are up dramatically among middle- and high school-aged youth, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers.

The researchers found that, nationwide, high schoolers ages 14 to 18 are at an exceptionally elevated risk for gun-inflicted injury and death compared to children in other age groups in both rural and urban settings.

They discovered that since 2017, firearms have surpassed motor vehicle collisions as the leading cause of mortality for youth ages 11 to 18, spiking from 1,945 deaths in 2001 to 3,224 in 2022.

The paper , published in the journal Injury Epidemiology last month, helps fill a key gap in the previous research, study authors said.

“These findings contribute significantly to our knowledge of what’s actually happening,” s

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