A new study published in the magazine Pediatrics finds that children who reside in states with stricter gun laws are less likely to become victims of gun-related deaths.
The study specifically looked at states with universal background checks to make that determination, ABC News reported. States that had five years of such checks in place had a 35 percent lower rate of gun deaths for children, the study concluded.
It’s a matter of grave importance and consequence for dozens of families each day, the study’s authors pointed out.
“More than 10 children die from firearms every day, and another 50 are injured by firearms daily,” lead author of the study Dr. Monika Goyal said. “This work is further contributing to the growing evidence that firearm legislation can be effective at reducing injury and death among children.”
The National Rifle Association did not agree with Goyal and her team’s findings. “Any social scientist worth their salt has to question a study that cherry-picks a microscopic 5-year time window of data when there is more than 50 years of data available,” the organization wrote in a statement.
States with the strictest gun laws had about 40% fewer firearm-related deaths among children compared with states with the most lax laws, @USATODAY reports from a new study. If you have guns in the home, lock and store them properly. https://t.co/h8pNzrAmbp
— Amer Acad Pediatrics (@AmerAcadPeds) July 17, 2019
Goyal said she’d be happy to have the NRA collaborate with her on her next study, as long as they’re okay with the final findings.
“As a pediatrician this is a nonpartisan issue for us. This is not a political debate for us. We’re trying to figure out how to keep kids safe,” she explained.
Another study from earlier this year, based out of Stanford University, sought to determine whether the pro-gun mantra of “more guns, less crime” was credible or not.
That investigation found that states that passed concealed carry laws had a noticeable increase within a few short years of passing such laws, per previous reporting from HillReporter.com.