Northwestern Medicine study finds that gun injury risks to kids linked to zip codes

CHICAGO (WGN) — A group of Northwestern researchers has released a new study that looks at the link between zip codes and gun injuries.

The published study comes after a Chicago boy died after accessing an unsecured gun and firing. Dr. Anne Stey, a Northwestern Medicine trauma surgeon and an assistant professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, is the senior author of the new study, which found that children in disadvantaged zip codes face up to 20 times higher odds of gun-related injuries.

The study also found that most hospitalizations for gun injuries among children under 18 are the result of unintentional shootings — incidents caused by mishandling or accidental discharge of a gun.

“Our study shows that where you and your family live is directly tied to your child’s odds of being injured or killed by a firearm,” Stey said.

The study, made public on Aug 25, analyzed hospital discharge data for nearly 7,000 gun injuries among children from birth to the age of 17 between 2016 and 2021. It’s also the first to examine first study to explore how children’s neighborhood conditions across multiple states are linked to firearm injuries, which is currently the leading cause of death among U.S. children.

“The thing that probably surprised me the most is how widespread this is,” Stey told WGN’s Lourdes Duarte on the Evening News at 4 p.m. “This is across multiple states, across multiple cities; this is not just a one-city or one-state problem. This is something that we are all dealing with; even in areas with very high childhood economic opportunities, there were still injuries that were noted.”

Readers may view the study by clicking here.

Watch the entire interview in the video player above.