Teenage drivers are at greater risk of being involved in a fatal car crash due to distractions and inexperience behind the wheel.
To help teens stay safe behind the wheel, the California Highway Patrol is offering the Start Smart teen driver safety education class to help address the dangers typically encountered by this age group.
Between federal fiscal years 2020 and 2022, there was a combined total of 21,308 fatal and injury crashes within CHP jurisdiction involving at least one teen driver between the ages of 15 and 19.
Unfortunately, fatal and injury crashes increased by nearly 10% over that time, which indicates it is essential to improve the education of teenage drivers and their parents/guardians to help enhance road safety.
Start Smart is a free two-hour class aimed at informing new drivers of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver.
Parents or guardians are required to attend with their teenage driver as they participate in this class, which is conducted by public information officers at local CHP Area offices.
Completion of this course may lower the cost of a young driver’s vehicle insurance.
“Every decision a teen driver makes behind the wheel has the potential to impact their future and the lives of those around them,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The Start Smart program has been instrumental in educating new drivers and their parents/guardians in an effort to save lives.”
Parents and teenagers can register for a Start Smart class by contacting their local CHP Area office.
More information about the program and California’s provisional licensing law can be found on the free CHP Start Smart app, which is available for both iOS and Android.
This mobile app includes access to the California Driver Handbook and a trip logger to track driving time as teens prepare to obtain their driver’s license.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will discuss a proposed water district annexation and declaring as surplus several city-owned properties.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19.
On the agenda is a resolution to support the Konocti County Water District’s proposed annexation of 108 acres in the Dam Road area of the city.
City Manager Alan Flora’s report to the council explained, “This annexation would eliminate the service of two districts Lower Lake Water District and the Creekside Mobile Home Park.”
Flora said the Creekside system was destroyed in the Cache Fire and Konocti County Water District has been providing service to the park via an emergency connection since the fire. Lower Lake serves the Cache Creek mobile home park, the majority of that park was lost to fire.
He said the proposed annexation would allow the water district to install a new main line along Dam Road and provide upgraded water service to the area. “This will be a significant improvement to existing infrastructure.”
In other business, the council will discuss a resolution discussing eight city-owned properties as surplus.
Also on the agenda is an introduction to October’s adoptable dogs.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants and City Council minutes, consideration to approve Resolution No 2023-42 approving a temporary road closure for the Annual Trunk or Treat, minutes of the Sept. 13 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting, approval of a contract for copy machines for the police department and city administration and adoption of an updated city of Clearlake Injury and Illness Prevention Plan.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Hopefuls for several local elected offices are in the process of filing papers in order to be on the ballot for the March 2024 presidential primary.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office gave Lake County News an update on the latest filings.
Lake County offices on the ballot in 2024 are Superior Court judge seats for departments 1, 3 and 4; supervisorial seats for districts 1, 4 and 5; and sheriff-coroner.
Earlier this year, several candidates filed the candidate intention statement, or Form 501. That’s required for any candidate unless they raise or spend less than $2,000 in a calendar year.
Form 501 filers to date are:
• County Supervisor, District 1: Bren Boyd and Bryan Pritchard, challengers.
• County Supervisor, District 4 (open seat): Brad Rasmussen, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Scott Barnett and Chris Read.
• County Supervisor, District 5: Jessica Pyska, incumbent; Dennis Holtzinger III; and Daniel “Boone” Bridges.
• Sheriff-Coroner (open seat): Luke Bingham.
The process to file for candidacy starts with in-lieu-of-filing petitions, available between Sept. 14 until Nov. 8.
To date, the Registrar of Voters Office said the following candidates have pulled petition-in-lieu papers:
• Superior Court Judge, Department 1: Michael Lunas, incumbent.
• Superior Court Judge, Department 3: Andrew Blum, incumbent.
• Superior Court Judge, Department 4: Shanda Harry, incumbent; Anna Gregorian, challenger.
• County Supervisor, District 1: Bren Boyd and Bryan Pritchard, challengers.
• County Supervisor, District 4 (open seat): Brad Rasmussen, Laura McAndrews Sammel and Scott Barnett.
• County Supervisor, District 5: Jessica Pyska, incumbent, and Dennis Holtzinger, challenger.
• Sheriff-Coroner (open seat): Luke Bingham.
Next up is the nomination period, which runs from Nov. 13 through Dec. 8.
During that period, all candidates for elective office must file a declaration of candidacy form, nomination papers and pay filing fee in order for their name to be printed on the March 5, 2024 Presidential Primary Election ballot.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article reported that the Form 501 limit was $1,000. The Registrar’s Office said the amount is now $2,000.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Kyra Clark-Wolf, University of Colorado Boulder and Philip Higuera, University of Montana
Strong winds blew across mountain slopes after a record-setting warm, dry summer. Small fires began to blow up into huge conflagrations. Towns in crisis scrambled to escape as fires bore down.
This could describe any number of recent events, in places as disparate as Colorado, California, Canada and Hawaii. But this fire disaster happened over 110 years ago in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Idaho and Montana.
The “Big Burn” of 1910 still holds the record for the largest fire season in the Northern Rockies. Hundreds of fires burned over 3 million acres – roughly the size of Connecticut – most in just two days. The fires destroyed towns, killed 86 people and galvanized public policies committed to putting out every fire.
Today, as the climate warms, fire seasons like in 1910 are becoming more likely. The 2020 fire season was an example. But are extreme fire seasons like these really that unusual in the context of history? And, when fire activity begins to surpass anything experienced in thousands of years – as research suggests is happening in the Southern Rockies – what will happen to the forests?
As paleoecologists, we study how and why ecosystems changed in the past. In a multiyear project, highlighted in two newpublications, we tracked how often forest fires occurred in high-elevation forests in the Rocky Mountains over the past 2,500 years, how those fires varied with the climate and how they affected ecosystems. This long view provides both hopeful and concerning lessons for making sense of today’s extreme fire events and impacts on forests.
Lakes record history going back millennia
When a high-elevation forest burns, fires consume tree needles and small branches, killing most trees and lofting charcoal in the air. Some of that charcoal lands on lakes and sinks to the bottom, where it is preserved in layers as sediment accumulates.
After the fire, trees regrow and also leave evidence of their existence in the form of pollen grains that fall on the lake and sink to the bottom.
By extracting a tube of those lake sediments, like a straw pushed into a layer cake from above, we were able to measure the amounts of charcoal and pollen in each layer and reconstruct the history of fire and forest recovery around a dozen lakes across the footprint of the 1910 fires.
Lessons from Rockies’ long history with fire
The lake sediments revealed that high-elevation, or subalpine, forests in the Northern Rockies in Montana and Idaho have consistently bounced back after fires, even during periods of drier climate and more frequent burning than we saw in the 20th century.
High-elevation forests only burn about once every 100 to 250 or more years on average. We found that the amount of burning in subalpine forests of the Northern Rockies over the 20th and 21st centuries remained within the bounds of what those forests experienced over the previous 2,500 years. Even today, the Northern Rockies show resilience to wildfires, including early signs of recovery after extensive fires in 2017.
But similar research in high-elevation forests of the Southern Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming tells a different story.
The record-setting 2020 fire season, with three of Colorado’s largest fires, helped push the rate of burning in high-elevation forests in Colorado and Wyoming into uncharted territory relative to the past 2,000 years.
Climate change is also having bigger impacts on whether and how forests recover after wildfires in warmer, drier regions of the West, including the Southern Rockies, the Southwest and California. When fires are followed by especially warm, dry summers, seedlings can’t establish and forests struggle to regenerate. In some places, shrubby or grassy vegetation replace trees altogether.
Changes happening now in the Southern Rockies could serve as an early warning for what to expect further down the road in the Northern Rockies.
Warmer climate, greater fire activity, higher risks
Looking back thousands of years, it’s hard to ignore the consistent links between the climate and the prevalence of wildfires.
Warmer, drier springs and summers load the dice to make extensive fire seasons more likely. This was the case in 1910 in the Northern Rockies and in 2020 in the Southern Rockies.
When, where and how climate change will push the rate of burning in the rest of the Rockies into uncharted territory is harder to anticipate. The difference between 1910 and 2020 was that 1910 was followed by decades with low fire activity, whereas 2020 was part of an overall trend of increasing fire activity linked with global warming. Just one fire like 1910’s Big Burn in the coming decades, in the context of 21st-century fire activity, would push the Northern Rockies beyond any known records.
The Big Burn of 1910 left a lasting impression because of the devastating impacts on lives and homes and, as in the 2020 fire season and many other recent fire disasters, because of the role humans played in igniting them.
Reframing the challenge of living with wildfire – building with fire-resistant materials, reducing accidental ignitions and increasing preparedness for extreme events – can help minimize damage while maintaining the critical role that fires have played in forests across the Rocky Mountains for millennia.
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills, a worldwide earthquake safety movement that began in southern California in 2008, encourages people to practice how to protect themselves during earthquakes in order to reduce injuries and even loss of life.
More than 53 million people worldwide are participating in earthquake drills in 2023, including 17.5 million people holding drills in all U.S. states and territories on International ShakeOut Day this Thursday, October 19. Many will hold their drills at 10:19 a.m. (local time).
More than 9.9 million are taking part in California alone.
In Lake County, 7,092 participants were signed up as of Tuesday evening.
That includes 6,526 in schools, 194 in local government, 167 in health care, 150 in nonprofit organizations, 20 in hotels and other lodgings, 15 in museums, libraries and parks, 13 in childcare and preschools, five individuals/families and two in state government.
On Tuesday, Board Chair Jessica Pyska said the Board of Supervisors will take part and were asked to take pictures from under their desks as part of the drill.
There is still time to be included this year, even after Oct. 19. Register to participate on any day that works for you or your organization at www.ShakeOut.org.
The series of recent devastating earthquakes in Afghanistan, plus those in Turkey and elsewhere earlier this year, are somber reminders of the importance of building earthquake-resistant structures, developing effective response procedures and capabilities, and the value of practicing self-protective actions which is the primary purpose of Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills.
ShakeOut participants practice “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” and other recommended earthquake safety actions for a variety of situations — if you’re near a sturdy desk or table, in a stadium or theater, along the coast, driving a car, in bed, or if you have a mobility disability. Guidance for each situation is provided at www.EarthquakeCountry.org/step5. Many also practice other aspects of their emergency plans.
“ShakeOut is a way to increase community resilience at all levels,” said Mark Benthien, Global ShakeOut coordinator and outreach director for the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California. “Earthquakes can be sudden and violent, but if we have taken steps to prepare ourselves, those around us, and the structures we live, work, and study in, we can greatly reduce their effects.”
Many participants follow the Earthquake Country Alliance’s Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety at www.EarthquakeCountry.org/sevensteps, which starts with Step 1: Secure Your Space. This means fastening furniture, TVs, cabinet door, and other items, to reduce the chance of earthquake injuries and damages caused when these items or knocked over or thrown during earthquakes.
California is the state with the greatest earthquake risk according to a study published by FEMA in April 2023. It also is the state with the most ShakeOut participants with more than 10 million expected to be registered this year. Washington State has the second-highest participation level with more than 1.3 million people. Utah is next with nearly 1 million people involved (though their drills were in April as Utah schools are not in session on ShakeOut day). The fourth largest participating state is Virginia – a reminder that as with the 2011 Mineral, VA earthquake, earthquakes can happen on the east coast too. See participation levels for regions at www.ShakeOut.org.
People in West Coast states (California, Oregon, and Washington) who have installed the MyShake app on their phone will receive a test alert at 10:19am on ShakeOut day. MyShake is one of several ways to receive the alert signal provided by the U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert system. Many cities, counties, school districts, and others are also testing their emergency communication alert systems. In addition, Washington State will conduct a test of their coastal tsunami sirens.
As part of their support for ShakeOut, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has also set up an option to receive earthquake information via text messaging, including a reminder text at 10:19 a.m. local time (in Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, and Alaska time zones). To opt-in, text “ShakeOut” to 43362.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Police Department is making the public aware of available tools and resources related to trespassing on private property and other non-emergency concerns.
The landing page includes an expressed waiver, description of ineligible properties, the process for submitting the letter and a link to the letter in Word format for downloading, editing and printing.
This letter allows the police department to enforce no-trespassing on private property in the city of Lakeport by taking enforcement action when voluntary compliance and warnings do not appropriately address the issue.
Have you had a concern or issue you wanted to address to the Lakeport Police Department or information you wanted to share, but do not need an immediate response from an officer? You can go to: https://lakeport.crimegraphics.com/2013/default.aspx.
You can also visit the Lakeport Police website and choose Community Portal – Crime Activity/Crime Analysis & More from the left menu; select Directed Patrol Request.
Complete this form with contact information and concern, issue or question. Then submit the form online and a member of the department will respond.
The Lakeport Police Department said it remains committed to providing high-quality law enforcement service to our community.
“We hope these resources benefit those who live, work, operate a business or visit our city,” The agency said in its report.
For more information, contact Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen at 707-263-5491.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a pedestrian along Highway 29 near Lower Lake on Tuesday night and is asking for the community’s help in determining what occurred.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office was notified at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday of a possible injured pedestrian in the area of Highway 29 and Hofacker Lane.
Upon arrival, first responders and CHP officers located an unresponsive Hispanic male adult laying on the east shoulder of northbound Highway 29 north of Hofacker Lane, the CHP reported.
The Hispanic male adult was pronounced deceased at the scene for reasons still under investigation by CHP Northern Division, Investigative Services Unit, the CHP said.
Anyone who might have information that could assist CHP investigators is urged to contact Investigator Jesse Rodgers at 530-242-4300 or the CHP Clear Lake Area office at 707-279-0103.
On Tuesday, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday administered the California Service Corps Pledge to thousands of new members of #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps, California Climate Action Corps and AmeriCorps California launching the largest service force in the nation.
“These paid service programs are about restoring the social contract between government and its citizens,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “This public investment builds upon California Volunteers’ army of service members, which is larger than the Peace Corps, and exemplifies the spirit and idealism I see in young people across California.”
Over the coming year, California Service Corps programs will be over 10,000 strong and members will help communities by taking climate action, tutoring and mentoring students to help them succeed, supporting communities impacted by disasters, working to end hunger and connecting vulnerable people to vital resources and services.
"This year in California, service members have stepped up to bridge divides and help their communities by serving with a program in the California Service Corps,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “These members are the state’s future leaders and we need their energy and enthusiasm to address our greatest challenges.”
The event highlighted California Volunteers, Office of the Governor’s commitment and momentum to scale up its programs which are made possible by the leadership and budget investments of Governor Newsom and the State Legislature.
California Service Corps members gain skills and experience while making new friends and gaining satisfaction from making a positive difference. Members receive living stipends and many can receive up to $10,000 after completing their service to be used for college, trade school or to pay back student loans.
Those interested in finding a paid service opportunity are encouraged to attend an upcoming recruitment webinar on October 26, 2023, at 1 p.m., to learn more about the benefits and impact of service.
California Volunteers is currently accepting applications for California Climate Action Corps, #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps and AmeriCorps California.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Effective Monday, Oct. 23, at 8 a.m., Cal Fire will lift the burn permit suspension in the State Responsibility Area in Colusa, Lake, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
Cal Fire’s burn permit suspension in Napa County will be lifted on Monday, Nov. 6.
In Lake County, this does not apply to the annual burn ban which is still in effect.
Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Mike Marcucci is formally canceling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can now resume burning after these dates for the respective counties on permissible burn days.
Agriculture burns must be inspected by Cal Fire prior to burning until the end of the peak fire season.
Inspections may be required for burns other than agriculture burns. This can be verified by contacting your local air quality management district.
Cooler temperatures, higher humidities and the chance of winter weather have helped to begin to diminish the threat of wildfire.
Property owners and residents are asked to use caution while conducting debris or agriculture burns, follow all guidelines provided and maintain control of the fire at all times.
Individuals can be held civilly and/or criminally liable for allowing a fire to escape their control and/or burn onto neighboring property.
Residents in the counties where Cal Fire is lifting the ban who wish to burn must verify it is a permissive burn day prior to burning.
Check with the following agencies depending on county:
• Lake County Air Quality Management District, 707-263-7000. • Colusa County Air Pollution Control District, 530-458-0581. • Bay Area Air Pollution Control District, 800-792-0787. • Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, 707-433-5911. • Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, 530-757-3660.
For information on burn permits for Lake County, please visit the South Lake County Fire Protection District website at https://www.southlakecountyfire.org./home/permits/.
Pile burning requirements:
• Only dry, natural vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles and tree trimmings may be burned. • The burning of trash, painted wood or other debris is not allowed. • Do NOT burn on windy days. • Piles should be no larger than four feet in diameter and in height. You can add to pile as it burns down. • Clear a 10-foot diameter down to bare soil around your piles. • Have a shovel and a water source nearby. • An adult is required to be in attendance at the fire at all times.
Safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards.
State, federal and local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health and resiliency on private and public lands.
For more information on burning, visit the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s new chief public defender took his oath of office on Tuesday.
As the Board of Supervisors looked on, County Administrative Officer Susan Parker administered the oath to Raymond Buenaventura.
Last month, the board hired Buenaventura, the mayor of Daly City, to head up the formation of a new public defender’s office.
He thanked the board and said he was humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be the county's new chief public defender.
“I take this obligation with great humility but also with great confidence that, together, I really do believe we can change and have a premier indigent defense program, a public defender’s office in this county,” Buenaventura said.
When he came into the board meeting that morning, “I felt at home,” he said.
He said he’d never seen a cat at a board meeting before. That was a reference to Lake County Animal Care and Control bringing an adoptable kitten, Raven, in her pumpkin outfit to meet the board that day.
Referring to other topics at the meeting about the community, Buenaventura said, “I’m in the right place.”
He added, “I can do a good job with your help.”
Buenaventura recounted that, during the interview process, he had asked for help. That includes asking to be invited to different communities, groups and events.
He’s said he’s already met a lot of fantastic people in the county. “It’s given me a lot of hope that we really can do something special here in Lake County.”
Buenaventura thanked the board and the community, adding, “My door will always be open.”
“We are excited and delighted that you are here and looking forward to some real change. We have a lot of confidence in you and are happy to move forward as a team,” said Board Chair Jessica Pyska.
Other board members also offered their welcome.
Supervisor Michael Green said it’s going to be a team effort to improve indigent defense in Lake County.
“This is a great day and an important starting step, but it is just that, it’s a start,” Green said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The south county’s two-term supervisor said Tuesday that he does not intend to run for reelection in 2024.
Supervisor Moke Simon made the announcement at the end of the board’s Tuesday morning session, when board members were giving their calendar updates for the week.
After reporting on his plans and upcoming meetings, Simon paused and then said, “I don’t know if this is the place to do it but I’m just going to do it today.”
He said he had spoken with fellow board members and County Administrative Officer Susan Parker.
“I’m going to make an announcement that I am not going to be seeking a third term for the District 1 supervisor,” said Simon.
“It's the fourth quarter of my life and I’ve got some things I want to get done,” he said.
Simon noted that he’s been getting “peppered” with questions about his plans all over, and would be making phone calls and emails to follow up with those who had contacted him.
A Middletown native, Simon, 51, was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2017, succeeding Jim Comstock.
Since 2012, he has served as tribal chair of Middletown Rancheria and since 2019 has served on the State Board of Fire Services.
He was a Middletown High School and college football standout, attending Butte College — where he was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2018 — and Texas A&M University.
After college, he played professional football for teams including the National Football League’s Indianapolis Colts. Today he continues to coach high school football at Middletown High.
When the Registrar of Voters Office provided Lake County News with an updated list of campaign filings this week, Simon had not submitted either a candidate intention statement or petition-in-lieu papers.
However, the nomination period when candidates have to file a declaration of candidacy form, nomination papers and pay the filing fee in order for their name to be on the March 2024 presidential primary ballot is still weeks away. That filing period runs from Nov. 13 through Dec. 8.
So far, Bren Boyd and Bryan Pritchard have both filed candidate intention statements and petition-in-lieu papers for the District 1 seat.
With Simon now bowing out and the District 1 seat open, it’s likely that more candidates will join the race.
A large field is already forming for the District 4 seat in 2024, after appointed incumbent Michael Green said he will not run for election. So far, Brad Rasmussen, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Scott Barnett and Chris Read have filed paperwork signaling their intentions to run to represent the Lakeport area.
Board Chair Jessica Pyska, representing District 5, has indicated she will seek a second term. Others joining the field to challenge her so far include Daniel “Boone” Bridges and Dennis Holtzinger III.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Rebeccah Sokol, University of Michigan; Marc A. Zimmerman, University of Michigan, and Patrick Carter, University of Michigan
Firearm injuries are now the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens following a huge decadelong rise.
Analyses published on Oct. 5, 2023, by a research team in Boston found an 87% increase in firearm-involved fatalities among Americans under the age of 18 from 2011 to 2021.
Such an increase is obviously very concerning. But as scholarsof adolescent healthand firearm violence, we know there are many evidence-based steps that elected officials, health care professionals, community leaders, school administrators and parents can implement to help reverse this trend.
Trends in firearm deaths
The latest study is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This data also provides information on whether firearm deaths were the result of homicide, suicide or unintentional shootings.
We have seen increases over time in all three areas. The steepest increase has been in the rate of firearm homicides, which doubled over the decade to 2021, reaching 2.1 deaths per 100,000 children and teens, or about 1,500 fatalities annually. Firearm-involved suicides have also increased steadily to 1.1 deaths per 100,000 children and teens in 2021.
Whereas the proportion of youth firearm-involved deaths due to unintentional shootings is typically highest during childhood, the share of gun deaths due to suicide peaks in adolescence.
In 2021, homicide was the most common form of firearm-involved deaths in almost every age group under the age of 18, with an exception of 12- and 13-year-olds, in which suicide was the leading cause of firearm fatalities.
Racial disparities in firearm deaths, which have been present for multiple generations, are also expanding, research shows.
Black children and teens are now dying from firearms at around 4.5 times the rate of their white peers.
This disparity is the consequence of structural factors, including the effects of systemic racism and economic disinvestment within many communities. Addressing racial disparities in firearm-involved deaths will require supporting communities and disrupting inequity by addressing long-term underfunding in Black communities and punitive policymaking.
More research is needed to fully understand why firearm-involved deaths are universally increasing across homicide, suicide and unintentional deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic and its exacerbation of social inequities and vulnerabilities likely explain some of these increases.
How to reduce gun fatalities
Reducing young people’s access to unsecured and loaded firearms can prevent firearm-involved deaths across all intents — including suicide, homicide and unintentional shootings.
Gun-owning parents can help by storing all firearms in a secure manner – such as in a locked gun safe or with a trigger or cable lock – and unloaded so they are not accessible to children or teens within the household.
In addition to locking household firearms, parents should consider storing a firearm away from the home, such as in a gun shop or shooting range, or temporarily transferring ownership to a family member if they have a teen experiencing a mental health crisis.
Families, including those that don’t own firearms, should also consider how firearms are stored in homes where their children or teens may spend time, such as a grandparent’s or neighbor’s house.
Community-based and clinical programs that provide counseling on the importance of locked storage and provide free devices are effective in improving the ways people store their firearms. In addition, researchers have found that states with child access prevention laws, which impose criminal liability on adults for negligently stored firearms, are associated with lower rates of child and teen firearm deaths.
Reducing the number of young people who carry and use firearms in risky ways is another key step to prevent firearm deaths among children and teens. Existing hospital- and community-based prevention services support this work by identifying and enrolling youth at risk in programs that reduce violence involvement, the carrying of firearms and risky firearm behaviors.
While researchers are currently testing such programs to understand how well they work, early findings suggest that the most promising programs include a combination of reducing risky behaviors – through, for example, nonviolent conflict resolution; enhancing youth engagement in pro-social activities and with positive mentors; and supporting youth mental health.
Support structures
In addition to ongoing focused prevention efforts, hospital-, school- and community-based interventions that support youth in advancing social, emotional, mental, physical and financial health can reduce the risk of firearm deaths. Such measures include both creating opportunities for children and teens – building playgrounds, establishing youth programs and providing access to the arts and green spaces – and community-level improvements, such as improved public transportation, economic opportunities, environmental safety conditions and affordable and quality housing. Allocating resources toward these initiatives is an investment in every community member’s safety.
Over the past decade, we have seen an 87% increase in firearm-involved fatalities among children and teens in the United States. But we also have the strategies and tools to stop and reverse this troubling trend.