You would think that serving in war would put young soldiers at the greatest risk of death or injury from firearms. But that’s no longer the case for adult young men from the US metropolitan areas with the highest crime rates. In both parts of Chicago and Philadelphia, the risk of dying from firearms is many times higher than in wartime GIs.
Brandon del Pozo (Rhode Island Hospital, Providence) and his co-authors made the epidemiological comparison in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open. For years, there has been a heated debate in the United States about gun laws and other measures to reduce gun crime, including the often devastating shootings in the United States.
Guns are the leading cause of death for children
The baseline, according to the scientists: “In 2020, the number of homicides in American cities increased by 30 percent. For the first time, firearms became the leading cause of death among children, adolescents and young adults. the most vulnerable young men between the ages of 18 and 29.
Chicago and Philadelphia are particularly dangerous American cities
The study identified a population of 129,826 young men living in the top 10 percent of violent crime-affected U.S. cities of Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York. Among them, there were 470 murders and 1,684 gunshot wounds in 2020/2021. As a result, according to the scientists: “Adult young men living in the most violently affected district (zip code; note) in Chicago had a 3.23 times higher risk of being killed by a firearm attack than on a mission. in Afghanistan (…).” In Philadelphia’s most violent addresses, the risk was still nearly twice as high as in the Hindu Kush by a factor of 1.91. Afghanistan’s comparatives came from the years 2001 to 2014, from the Iraq War of the 1970s 2003 to 2014.
If we compare the risk of gun death in the 10 percent of Chicago and Philadelphia boroughs with the highest rates of violent crime, Chicago is still more than double (by a factor of 2.1) that of young GIs on duty. In Philadelphia, the risk of death from gun use was slightly higher (factor 1.15). The incidence of non-fatal gun injuries in Chicago and Philadelphia was lower than a military operation in Afghanistan, but about the same as for US soldiers in Iraq. New York and Los Angeles fared significantly better.
Overall, young men in Chicago’s crime hotspots have a 1.3 percent annual risk of being the victim of gun homicide. Together with non-fatal injuries, this risk increases to 5.8 percent annually. This overall risk was 3.2 percent in Philadelphia, 0.7 percent in New York and 0.6 percent in Los Angeles.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
