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Each year, gun violence kills approximately 2,700 and injures approximately 14,500 children in the U.S.; the overwhelming majority of child gun deaths are among teenagers who die by homicide or suicide. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for Black teens. A recent spate of high-profile tragedies involving children, such as the Newtown mass shooting in 2012 and the Parkland mass shooting in 2018, have reinvigorated a national debate about the role of guns in our private and public spaces. Physicians, and in particular pediatricians, have become increasingly vocal about the need to address the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.
This book serves as an in-depth, comprehensive guide to adolescent gun violence prevention. It describes the epidemiology of teen gun violence in the U.S. by focusing on the parallel epidemics that claim the most lives: gun suicide among rural white males, and gun homicide among urban Black males. It offers in-depth reviews of key concepts that are crucial to reaching a meaningful understanding of gun violence. The text also addresses specific methods of intervention at various levels of society, from the individual; to the local community; and finally to the entire nation.
This first of its kind book is a valuable reference for physicians, public health scientists, policy-makers, gun reform advocates, and anyone interested in working towards a safer future for young people.
List of contents
Epidemiology of adolescent gun violence: the parallel tragedies of rural suicide and urban homicide.- What does a "public health approach" mean? Lessons from earlier victories.- The weapons effect.- Reducing access to lethal means of suicide.- Gun violence as an infectious disease.- Gun violence as an adverse childhood experience and a toxic stress.- Fighting gun violence from the doctor's office: clinical interventions.- Adolescent suicidality and homicidality: who is at risk?.- Teens, screens, and violence: promoting healthy media use among adolescents.- Innovative solutions to urban gun violence: interruption programs and peer intervention.- Legislative and regulatory solutions to adolescent gun violence.- The youth voice: what does gun violence mean to us?
About the author
Nancy A. Dodson, MD, MPH
Adolescent Medicine physician, Pediatrics on Hudson, Hastings on Hudson, New York
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
