In June 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) claimed that guns are the number one killer of children while introducing executive action for more gun control. However, this statement has been debunked by multiple sources as false.
President Joe Biden made a similar claim in June 2022, stating that “Guns are the number one killer of children.” This statement is only true if you include 18- and 19-year-olds in the definition of “children,” which is not universally accepted.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearm-related deaths of people aged 0-19 totaled 4,368 in 2020, while motor vehicle deaths for the same age range totaled 4,036. However, when limiting the category of “children” to those 0-17 years old, Breitbart News found that the number of firearm-related deaths was significantly lower than motor vehicle deaths.
In fact, even when considering the expanded age range of 0-19, CDC data shows that unintentional motor vehicle deaths were 27 times higher than unintentional firearm-related deaths. This clearly demonstrates that the claim made by both President Biden and Vice President Harris is false.