According to multiple sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), firearms are the number one cause of death for children in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, firearms were involved in the deaths of more children ages 1-17 than any other type of injury or illness, surpassing deaths due to motor vehicles, which had long been the number one factor in child deaths. Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, and nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents that year. Firearms are responsible for 20% of all child and teen deaths in the U.S., compared to an average of less than 2% of child and teen deaths in similarly large and wealthy nations. In no other similarly large, wealthy country are firearms in the top four causes of death for children and teens, let alone the number one cause.