SAVOY, Ill. (WCIA) – New numbers from the CDC are giving us a look inside gun violence trends.
The study was released a few days ago and shows statistics for 2017 through 2019. It said the second and third leading cause of death for 14 through 17-year-olds is suicide and homicide, mainly from guns.
The CDC found 1 in 15 boys reported carrying a gun at least once for non-recreational use and 1 in 50 girls reported the same. That’s from a sample of 21,812 students.
It also showed gun carrying was more common in teens who experienced violence, suicidal tendencies. or substance use. It said if we can understand who is carrying guns, it could help curb gun violence.
Meanwhile, many people said these numbers aren’t surprising, because they saw this trend growing up. That’s why people like Corey Barnes are using their social media platforms to provide resources to teens.
“Every single school year, when I was in high school, it was always somebody passing away from either suicide or gun violence or something. I said Champaign Centennial can’t be the only school where this is happening,” Barnes said. “So, I was like I’ll just put this right here. Since I have a platform, it will give people a good resource to use.”
The statistics showed gun carrying is more common among boys than girls. With boys, the study found gun carrying was most common among non-Hispanic black students. For girls, carrying was more common among Hispanic students.
Barnes said he feels a lot of these students would benefit from a mentor. Someone who can help them when it comes to violence and life in general. That’s why he has resources and ways people can reach him directly on his
Corey Barnes (@cor3ybarnes) • Instagram photos and videos
“>social media platforms.