Researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Meharry Medical College in Nashville have produced research showing that for young Black men between the ages of 15 and 24, homicide is the leading cause of death by a large margin. In contrast, the leading cause of death for Black woman and non-Black men and women in this age group is automobile accidents.
Charles H. Hennekens, the Sir Richard Doll Professor in the College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University and a co-author of the study states, “In 15 to 24-year-olds, firearm homicide rates in the U.S. are about 43 times higher than in other developed countries. Among young black men, the devastation homicide inflicts is a potentially preventable epidemic.”
Professor Hennekens believes that strong gun control measures will be necessary to reverse this trend. “Combating the epidemic of mortality due to firearms without addressing firearms is analogous to combating the epidemic of lung cancer due to cigarettes without addressing cigarettes,” said Professor Hennekens.
The research, “A New American Tragedy,” was published in the American Journal of Medicine.
