Firearm-related deaths are up dramatically among middle- and high school-aged youth, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers.

The researchers found that, nationwide, high schoolers ages 14-18 are at an exceptionally elevated risk for gun-inflicted injury and death compared to children in other age groups in both rural and urban settings.

They discovered that since 2017, firearms have surpassed motor vehicle collisions as the leading cause of mortality for youth ages 11-18, spiking from 1,945 deaths in 2001 to 3,224 in 2022.

The paper, published in the journal Injury Epidemiology last month, helps fill a key gap in the previous research, study authors said.

“These findings contribute significantly to our knowledge of what’s actually happening,” said Elizabeth Weybright, associate professor and adolescent extension specialist in Washington State University’s department of human development and the paper’s co-author.

The study is among the first to separate younger children and adolescents into different data sets, focusing on middle schoolers ages 11 to 13 and high schoolers ages 14 to 18.

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While previous research looking at both children and adolescents is “interesting and informative,” Weybright said, “high schoolers are very different from toddlers.”

Research on shooting fatalities that combines children and adolescents into one group ignores distinct developmental stages and associated risks, according to Weybright and her fellow researchers.

“Addressing firearm mortality as a public health crisis requires strategies tailored to developmental stage, injury intent, setting, and cultural context,” they state in the study’s abstract.

Using federal data spanning 2001 to 2022, the researchers uncovered trends in firearm deaths for 11- to 18-year-olds in rural and urban settings.

The data showed that firearms are the leading cause of death for urban high schoolers, surpassing motor vehicle collisions.

Though motor vehicle collisions are still the leading cause of death for rural high schoolers, they are decreasing, while firearm deaths are becoming more common.

Firearm deaths due to homicide have increased by more than 362% among rural high schoolers since 2001, though suicide is still the primary cause of firearm death for both high schoolers and middle schoolers in rural locations.

Meanwhile, homicides are the leading cause of firearm deaths for urban high schoolers, surging more than 127% from a 2013 low.

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The study suggests that adapting firearm safety guidance to different childhood developmental stages could be crucial to saving lives.

“Often, the support and guidance we give parents about safe firearm storage isn’t tailored by youth developmental stage,” Weybright said. “As a child starts to age and have more autonomy, that could be a time to revisit firearm safety practices and provide different types of messaging.”

She envisions a revised, more comprehensive approach when it comes to rural communities, which have seen a significant uptick in firearm-related homicides among youth.

“We talk a lot about youth suicide risk in rural areas and less about the risk for homicide,” Weybright said. “This study highlights that we need interventions for both.”

Washington state lawmakers passed a controversial bill this year that, starting in 2027, will require those interested in purchasing guns to apply for a five-year permit through the Washington State Patrol.

The permit system goes beyond the state’s existing background checks, which also require proof of completion of a firearm safety course.

Supporters say the law will strengthen the state’s efforts to limit gun violence and suicides.

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