與槍支有關的死亡事故是美國兒童的三大死因之一?!秲嚎茖W》雜志(Pediatrics)發表的一項新研究表明,過去40年,雖然槍支持有率在下降,但1至5歲兒童中因槍支造成的死亡率卻上升了。
槍支整體持有率降低,相關死亡率卻上升的原因有哪些?美國的槍支持有量下降,但其中人們持有手槍的比率比步槍或霰彈槍高。研究人員解釋道,手槍持有率的增加似乎正在導致死亡率上升。上述發現并不能證明兩者之間的因果關系,只能說明存在相關性。但是家里有手槍仍然是一個直接影響到家家戶戶健康和安全的問題,對于有小孩的家庭尤其如此。研究者建議家中存放槍支時要上鎖,不要上膛,彈藥應該單獨鎖在其它地方。
該研究的主要作者、新西蘭惠靈頓維多利亞大學的家庭社會學家和人口學家凱特·普里克特告訴美國有線電視新聞網絡(CNN),“我們擔心孩子們的死因是本可以預防的原因,想研究如何防止這種情況發生?!?/p>
之前的研究表明,一個人的居住地和身份決定了被槍殺的可能性,在美國,每10萬人中就有4人死于槍殺。有6個國家的槍擊死亡人數合計占全球總數的一半,美國就是其中之一。(財富中文網) 譯者:Agatha |
Firearm-related fatalities are among the top three causes of death for children in the United States. And according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, the firearm-related mortality rate among children ages 1 to 5 has increased over a 40 year period, even as firearm ownership has declined.
One reason for the mortality rate increase despite the overall ownership decrease? Firearm ownership is down in the U.S., but among gun owners, it is more likely someone will own a handgun than a rifle or shotgun. That increase in handgun ownership appears to be driving the mortality rate increase, the study’s researchers explained. These findings do not prove causation, only association. But handgun ownership in a household is still a health and safety issue that directly impacts families, especially those with young children. The study authors recommend that firearms stored in a home be locked away, stored unloaded, and that ammunition should be locked away in a separate location.
“We are concerned that children are dying from preventable reasons and wanted to study ways to keep this from happening,” Kate Prickett, the study’s lead author, and a family sociologist and demographer at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, told CNN.
Previous studies have shown that where you live and who you are determine your risk for being shot to death, and in terms of gun homicides, the U.S. has four per every 100,000 people. The U.S. is one of six nations that, combined, account for half of all gun deaths around the world. |