U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

1999 National

Report Series

Juvenile Justice Bulletin

Shay Bilchik, Administrator

MARCH 2000

Kids and Guns

As the

Nation

moves into

the 21st

century, the

reduction

of juvenile

crime, violence, and

victimization

constitutes one of

the most crucial challenges of the new millennium. To meet that

challenge, reliable information is essential. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National

Report offers a comprehensive

overview of these pervasive problems

and the response of the juvenile justice

system. The National Report brings

together statistics from a variety of sources

on a wide array of topics, presenting the

information in clear, nontechnical text

enhanced by more than 350 easy-to-read

tables, graphs, and maps.

This Bulletin series is designed to give readers

quick, focused access to some of the most critical

findings from the wealth of data in the National Report.

Each Bulletin in the series highlights selected themes

at the forefront of juvenile justice policymaking and

extracts relevant National Report sections (including

selected graphs and tables).

Administrator’s Message

Guns kill. In many cases, guns kill our children.

Sometimes the guns are fired by other juveniles,

often by acquaintances or family members. This

Bulletin, drawn from Juvenile Offenders and Victims:

1999 National Report, provides an overview of the

national statistics that show the devastating impact

that the availability of guns has had on the lives and

well-being of American youth.

While other types of homicide remained constant, the

number of juveniles killed with a firearm increased

greatly between 1987 and 1993. A close look at the

numbers shows that the rise in murders of juveniles

from the mid-1980’s through the 1993 peak year was all

firearm related, as was the subsequent decline in juvenile murders that occurred between 1993 and 1997.

Guns play a large role in suicides as well. Families,

teachers, and friends have virtually no chance to

reach out to youth in desperate need of help when

that desperation is signaled by the immediate and

often fatal impact of a gunshot wound. Statistics show

that for every two youth age 19 or younger murdered

in 1996, one youth committed suicide. The rate of

youth suicides involving a firearm increased 39% between 1980 and 1994, and although firearm-involved

suicides declined 19% from 1994 to 1996, these numbers are still much too high.

Despite these sobering statistics, it is important to

remember that there are steps we can take to make

our children and our communities safer. In fact, a

number of communities have made progress in countering the threat of gun-related violence by bringing

together law enforcement, elected officials, prosecutors, judges, schools, community organizations, and

citizens to develop their own comprehensive, strategic violence prevention plan. The experiences of

these communities are described in the OJJDP publication Promising Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence.

This OJJDP Report provides a wealth of practical information and tools that communities can use to develop their own firearm violence reduction programs.

The recent decline in firearm-related juvenile homicides and suicides is encouraging and reinforces

the need to remain vigilant in keeping handguns

and other weapons out of the hands of children.

Rational gun control policies, community involvement in schools, better relationships between law

enforcement agencies and communities, support

for parents in supervising and disciplining their

children, and help for teens in despair are all approaches that we can use in our efforts to reduce

the illegal use of firearms by juveniles.

Shay Bilchik

Administrator
2 1999 National Report Series

The increase in juvenile

homicides is tied to firearm use

by nonfamily offenders

A study of the 65% increase in juvenile homicides in the 7-year period

from 1987 to 1993 shows that increases did not occur proportionately in all types of homicides. Over

this period, homicides by family

members held constant, while homicides by acquaintances increased

substantially. The increase was disproportionate for black victims,

with the growth in the number of

black victims twice that of white victims. Most significantly, nearly all of

the growth in juvenile homicides

was in the number of older juveniles

killed with firearms.

The decline in juvenile homicides

between 1993 and 1997 brought the

number to a level just 20% above

that of 1987 (the last year in which

juvenile homicides were within their

historic range). Both the decline

from 1993 to 1997 and the growth

from 1987 to 1993 involved substantial changes in the number of murders by acquaintances and in the

number of murders of older youth

and black youth. The proportion of

homicides committed with a firearm, which had increased dramatically between 1987 and 1993, however, did not decline between 1993

and 1997. Therefore, the major

legacy of the growth in juvenile homicides from 1987 through 1993 is

that it increased the proportion of

juveniles killed by firearms.

The annual number of juveniles killed with a firearm increased

substantially between 1987 and 1993, while other types of

homicide remained constant

■ In 1980, fewer than half (41%) of the juveniles murdered were killed with a

firearm. The proportion of juvenile firearm homicides began to increase in

1987 and peaked (at 61%) in 1993. Since then, the proportion has declined

somewhat, with 56% of juvenile homicides involving a firearm in 1997.

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years

1980–1997 [machine-readable data files].

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

Juvenile homicide victims

Firearm involved

No firearm involved

The use of firearms in juvenile homicides was common in the

1990’s for both black victims and white victims

■ In the early 1980’s, proportions of juvenile homicides involving a firearm

were roughly equal for white victims and black victims.

■ The proportion of black juvenile homicides involving a firearm increased substantially during a 3-year period in the late 1980’s.

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years

1980–1997 [machine-readable data files].

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Firearm percent of juvenile homicide victims

White

Black

The rise in murders of juveniles between 1984 and 1993

was all firearm related, as was the subsequent decline
MARCH 2000 3

Homicides of juveniles ages 15 to 17 were more likely to involve a

firearm than were homicides of adults

■ Over the 10-year period from 1987 to 1997, the proportion of homicides

committed with a firearm increased in most victim age groups.

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years

1980–1997 [machine-readable data files].

Since 1980, 1 in 4 murders of

juveniles involved a juvenile

offender

Nearly 38,000 juveniles were murdered between 1980 and 1997. A juvenile offender was involved in 26%

of these crimes when an offender

was identified. In murders of juveniles by juveniles, about 1 of every 6

also involved an adult offender. Between 1980 and 1997, the victim and

the offender were the same race in

91% of murders of juveniles by

juveniles.

The proportion of juvenile murders

that involved a juvenile offender increased from 21% in 1980 to 33% in

1994—the peak year for all murders

by juveniles. In 1980, an estimated

400 juveniles were killed by other juveniles, growing to nearly 900 in

1994; by 1997, this figure had fallen

to about 500, or about 1 of every 4

juveniles murdered that year.

When juveniles kill juveniles,

the victims are generally

acquaintances killed with a

firearm

Of juveniles killed by other juveniles

between 1980 and 1997, 13% were

under age 6. In nearly half of these

murders (47%), the juvenile offender

was the parent of the victim. In another 18%, the juvenile offender was

another family member. Firearms

were rarely used when the victim

was under age 6 (10%).

Of juveniles killed by other juveniles, 63% were age 15 or older.

Fewer than 5% of these older juvenile victims were killed by family

members; 76% were killed by acquaintances and 19% were killed by

strangers. Between 1980 and 1997,

77% of these older juveniles were

killed with a firearm.

0–5

6–11

12–1415–1718–2021–2425–3435–4445–5455–64

65 & older

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Percent killed by firearm in age group

Age of victim

1987

1997

Between 1980 and 1997, 3 out of 4 murdered juveniles age 12 or

older were killed with a firearm

Victim ages

Age of victim 0–17

Weapon 0–17 0–5 6–11 12–17 Males Females

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Firearm 51 10 42 75 60 31

Knife/blunt object 14 11 19 15 13 17

Personal* 19 48 11 3 15 27

Other 16 30 28 7 12 25

■ Nearly half (48%) of all murdered children below age 6 were killed by offenders using only their hands, fists, or feet.

■ Male murder victims were nearly twice as likely as female victims to be killed

with a firearm.

* Personal includes hands, fists, or feet.

Note: Detail may not total 100% because of rounding.

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years

1980–1997 [machine-readable data files].
4 1999 National Report Series

It is difficult to assess the exact

number of murders committed

by juveniles

Based on the Federal Bureau of

Investigation’s (FBI’s) Supplemental

Homicide Report (SHR) data, 18,200

persons were murdered in the U.S.

in 1997—the lowest number in more

than a generation. Of these murders,

about 1,400 were determined by law

enforcement to involve a juvenile

offender; however, the actual number is greater than this. In 1997,

the FBI had no information on the

offender(s) for about 6,900 reported

murders (38% of the total). These

may have been homicides for which

no one was arrested or the offender

was otherwise not identified, or

these may have been cases for

which the local agency did not report complete information to the

FBI. Regardless, the number of murders committed by juveniles in 1997

was undoubtedly greater than 1,400,

but just how much greater is difficult to determine. If it were assumed

that the murders without offender

information were similar to those

with offender information, then

about 2,300 murders (or 12% of all

murders) in 1997 had at least one

offender who was under the age of

18 at the time of the crime.

The 1,400 murders known to involve

a juvenile offender in 1997 involved

about 1,700 juveniles and 900 adults.

Of all murders involving a juvenile,

31% also involved an adult, and 13%

involved another juvenile. In all, 44%

of all murders involving a juvenile

involved more than one person.

Whom do juveniles kill?

Between 1980 and 1997, most victims

in homicides involving juveniles were

male (83%). Slightly more victims

were white (50%) than black (47%).

In 27% of homicides by juveniles, the

victim was also a juvenile. Victims in

70% of homicides by juveniles were

killed with a firearm. Of all victims

killed by juveniles, 14% were family

members, 55% were acquaintances,

and 31% were strangers.

Who are the juvenile murderers?

Between 1980 and 1997, the large majority (93%) of known juvenile homicide offenders were male. More than

half (56%) were black. Of known juvenile homicide offenders, 42% were

age 17, 29% were age 16, and 17%

were age 15; 88% of juvenile homicide offenders were age 15 or older.

Murders by the very young are

rare

Annually between 1980 and 1997,

fewer than 10 juveniles age 10 or

younger were identified as participants in murders—a figure that has

remained essentially constant over

the time period. The majority of

these young homicide offenders were

male (88%), and more than half (54%)

were black. In these cases, the victim

was equally likely to be either a family member or an acquaintance

(43%). A firearm was involved in 50%

of the murders committed by these

young offenders.

All of the increase in homicides by juveniles between

the mid-1980’s and mid-1990’s was firearm related

■ Between 1980 and 1987, firearms were used in just over half (54%) of all homicides involving a juvenile offender. Then firearm-related homicides began

to increase, so that, by 1994, most homicides by juvenile offenders (82%) involved the use of a firearm.

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years

1980–1997 [machine-readable data files].

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Known juvenile offenders

Firearm

No firearm

The sharp decline in homicides by juveniles between 1994 and 1997

was attributable entirely to a decline in homicides by firearm
MARCH 2000 5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Murder arrests per 100,000 population

1997

1980

Age

Boys and girls tend to kill

different types of victims

Between 1980 and 1997, 54% of male juvenile homicide offenders killed an acquaintance, 37% killed a stranger, and

9% killed a family member. In comparison, the victims of females were more

likely to be family members (39%) and

far less likely to be strangers (15%).

Between 1980 and 1997, about 1% of

male offenders killed persons under

age 6, while 18% of the female offenders killed young children. Because

there were so many more male offenders than female offenders, however, roughly equal numbers of male

and female juvenile offenders were

involved in the murder of young children. Annually between 1980 and

1997, about 25 male and 25 female juvenile offenders were tied to the

death of a child under age 6.

Males were far more likely than females to kill with a firearm. Between

1980 and 1997, 73% of male juvenile homicide offenders used a firearm, while

14% used a knife. In contrast, 41% of female juvenile homicide offenders used

a firearm and 32% used a knife. While

27% of females used other means to

kill (e.g., hands or feet, strangulation,

drowning, or fire), only 13% of males

killed by these means.

Black juveniles were more likely

to commit murders with firearms

than were youth of other races

In the U.S. in 1997, about 1 of every

16,000 youth between the ages of 10

and 17 was identified as participating

in a homicide. This is a rate of 56

known offenders for every 1 million

youth in the U.S. population ages 10–

17. This rate was greater for black

youth than youth of other races: black

(194), Asian/Pacific Islanders (44),

American Indians (34), and whites

(30).

Between 1980 and 1997, 72% of black

juvenile homicide offenders used a

firearm in their crimes. This proportion was higher than that for Asian/

Pacific Islander (67%), white (59%),

or American Indian (48%) youth.

Youth were most likely to kill persons

of their own race. Between 1980 and

1997, 81% of juvenile offenders were

involved in murders of persons of

Source: Authors’ analysis of arrest data from an unpublished FBI report for 1980 and from Crime in the United States 1997 and population data from the Bureau

of the Census for 1980 from Current Population Reports, P25–1095 and for 1997 from Estimates of the population of States by age, sex, race, and Hispanic

origin: 1997 [machine-readable data file].

their own race. Same-race killing was

most common for white youth (90%)

and less common for blacks (76%),

Asian/Pacific Islanders (58%), and

American Indians (48%).

A greater proportion of white youth

and American Indian youth killed

family members than did youth of

other races: American Indian (17%),

white (16%), black (7%), and Asian/

Pacific Islander (7%).

Growth in murders by juveniles is

linked to weapon use

Relevant to an understanding of juvenile murder arrest trends is the link between murder rates and weapon use.

The relationship of the murder agearrest curves for 1980 and 1997 is

similar to that for weapons law violations. (See murder graph and weapons

graph.) For murders, the rates were

lower in 1997 than in 1980 for all persons above age 25, but there were substantial increases in murder rates

among juveniles and young adults. The

age-specific arrest rate trend profile for

weapons violations is comparable to

that for murder, showing large increases for juveniles and young adults.

Age-specific arrest rate trends for murder are similar to those for weapons violations

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Weapons arrests per 100,000 population

1997

1980

Age

Murder Weapons
6 1999 National Report Series

In general, the temporal pattern of violent crimes committed by juveniles with firearms is similar to the

adult pattern, except for the high proportion of juvenile firearm-involved crimes that occur immediately

after school on school days

Note: Violent crime includes murder, violent sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Data are from 12 States (Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia).

Source: Authors’ analyses of the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System master files for the years 1991–1996 [machine-readable

data files].

Violent crime committed with a firearm

6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM 12AM 3AM 6AM

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

Percent of violent incidents with firearm in age group 

Under age 18

Age 18 and older

■ The decline between 1993 and 1997 brought the juvenile arrest rate for weapons law violations to its lowest

level since 1990, but the rate was still 55% above the

1987 level.

The juvenile arrest rate for weapons law

violations doubled in the 6-year period between

1987 and 1993

■ Even with its greater increase, the female rate in 1997

was only 10% of the male rate.

Female arrest rates for weapons law violations

nearly tripled between 1981 and 1997, while the

male rate nearly doubled

Juvenile arrest rates for weapons, which increased sharply during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s,

began declining in the mid-1990’s

Source: Authors’ analysis of arrest data from unpublished FBI reports for 1980 through 1994 and the FBI’s Crime in the United States reports

for 1995, 1996, and 1997 and population data from the Bureau of the Census for 1980 through 1989 from Current Population Reports, P25–

1095 and for 1990 through 1997 from Estimates of the population of States by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: 1990–1997 [machinereadable data files].

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

0

50

100

150

200

250

Weapons arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10–17 

1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

Females

Males

Percent change in weapons arrest rate from 1981

Arrest rate

1981 1997

Male 175 304

Female 11 32

Note: Arrest rates are arrests per 100,000 males or females

ages 10–17.

6AM 9AM 12PM 3PM 6PM 9PM 12AM 3AM 6AM

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

Percent of all juvenile violent incidents with firearm

School days

Nonschool days
MARCH 2000 7

Gun use and crime among male

arrestees/detainees is studied

The National Institute of Justice interviewed a sample of arrested and/

or detained individuals during the

first 6 months of 1995 to learn about

gun acquisition and use. Seven of

eleven study sites provided data on

juvenile males: Denver, District of

Columbia, Indianapolis, Los Angeles,

Phoenix, St. Louis, and San Diego.

Although sites varied, the juvenile

males studied were disproportionately black or Hispanic, and most

were age 15 or older. Because 5 of

the 7 sites limited the study to juveniles in detention rather than all juveniles arrested, the offense profile

for juveniles studied was skewed to

more serious offenses (crimes

against persons ranged from 15% to

29%). Also, the proportion of juveniles who admitted to current membership in a gang ranged from 2% to

41%.

Juveniles are more likely than

arrestees overall to commit a

crime with a gun

The proportion of respondents who

were charged with a weapons offense ranged from 1% to 12%. Among

the juvenile males interviewed, however, 20% said they carried a gun all

or most of the time, compared with

14% of arrestees overall.

Juvenile arrestees were nearly twice

as likely as arrestees overall to say

they had stolen a gun (25% vs. 13%).

Gang members and drug sellers

were also more likely than other

arrestees to have stolen a gun (each

about 30%).

Overall, 23% of arrestees who

owned a gun had used one in a

crime. The proportion was higher

for juveniles (33%) and higher still

for drug sellers (42%) and gang

members (50%).

Arrestees were often the victims

of gun violence

Juvenile males and gang members

were more likely than arrestees

overall to have been shot at. The

proportion who said they had been

shot at was about 4 in 10 overall,

compared with about 5 in 10 for juvenile males and about 8 in 10 for

gang members.

Although juveniles were more likely

than adults to be shot at, they were

not more likely to suffer gunshot injury. Overall, 16% of arrestees reported gunshot injuries.

Arrestees say they carry guns

for protection and respect

Two-thirds of respondents said

they had a gun for protection/selfdefense. Almost one-third of

arrestees agreed that, “Your crowd

respects you if you have a gun.”

Among drug sellers and gang members, the proportion agreeing was

higher (4 in 10). When asked when

using a gun was appropriate, 9% of

arrestees agreed that, “It is okay to

shoot someone who disrespected

you.” Among juveniles, the proportion agreeing was double (18%).

Among drug sellers, 21% agreed;

among gang members, 34% agreed.

More than half of crime guns

were recovered from adults ages

25 years or older

In 1996, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms established the

Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative to trace crime guns (i.e., any

firearm illegally possessed, used in a

crime, or suspected to have been

used in a crime) recovered by law

enforcement. More than 76,000

crime guns were traced from 27 cities during a 1-year period between

1997 and 1998. Almost one-half

(44%) of crime guns were recovered

from persons under the age of 25;

11% were recovered from youth age

17 or younger.

Age Percent of crime guns

All 100%

17 or younger 11

18–24 32

25 or older 56

Note: Detail may not total 100% because of

rounding.

4 in 5 recovered firearms were

handguns

A handgun was the most common

type of recovered firearm traced by

law enforcement. Of these, a semiautomatic pistol was the most frequently possessed handgun among

all age groups (52%). Semiautomatic

pistols were more common among

youth under age 18 (58%) and those

ages 18–24 (60%) than among persons age 25 or older (47%).

Age

Type of 17 or 25 or

gun younger 18–24 older

Total 100% 100% 100%

Semiautomatic

 pistol 58 60 47

Revolver 29 24 27

Long gun 12 15 25

Note: Detail may not total 100% because of

rounding.

1 in 5 juvenile arrestees carried a gun all or most of

the time
8 1999 National Report Series

A new survey of youth shows that handgun carrying

is linked to other problem behavior

A new survey will follow a cohort

of youth as they make the

transition from school to work

The first wave of the 1997 National

Longitudinal Survey of Youth

(NLSY97) interviewed a nationally

representative sample of 9,000

youth who were between the ages of

12 and 16 at year-end 1996. The survey asked youth to report whether

they had engaged in a variety of deviant and delinquent behaviors, including carrying a handgun. Plans

are to interview members of this cohort every 2 years to track changes

in delinquent and criminal activity

over the life course.

■ Youth who had ever used marijuana were more likely to have

sold marijuana (24% vs. <1%),

carried a handgun (21% vs. 7%),

or been in a gang (14% vs. 2%) at

some point than youth who

never used marijuana.

■ Youth who had ever sold marijuana were more likely to have

sold hard drugs (i.e., cocaine,

LSD, or heroin) (40% vs. 1%),

carried a handgun (35% vs. 8%),

or been in a gang (24% vs. 4%)

than youth who never sold

marijuana.

■ Active marijuana users (i.e.,

youth who used marijuana during the month prior to the survey) were more likely to have

consumed alcohol (78% vs. 14%)

or carried a handgun (12% vs.

2%) during that period than

youth who did not use marijuana.

■ Youth who had carried a handgun in the last 12 months were

also more likely to have been in

a gang than youth who did not

carry a handgun during this period (15% vs. 1%).

The survey also found that more than

half of all 16-year-olds who had ever

committed assault, carried a handgun,

or belonged to a gang had done so for

the first time by age 12. In contrast,

less than one-fifth of all 16-year-olds

who had ever used marijuana, sold any

drugs, or sold hard drugs (i.e., cocaine,

LSD, or heroin) had done so for the

first time by age 12.

Among 15-year-olds, employed youth were significantly more likely

to have carried a gun in the last 12 months than unemployed youth

15-year-olds 16-year-olds

Behavior Unemployed Employed Unemployed Employed

Carried a handgun

Last 12 months 5% 8% 7% 6%

Last 30 days 3 4 4 3

Source: Authors’ analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 [machine-readable data file].

Recent participation (i.e., within the last 12 months or 30 days prior

to the interview) in delinquent acts such as carrying a handgun

varied by race and ethnicity for males and females

Males ages 12–16 Females ages 12–16

Behavior White Black Hispanic White Black Hispanic

Carried a handgun

Last 12 months 10% 8% 8% 2% 2% 2%

Last 30 days 5 5 4 1 1 1

To school in last 30 days < 1 1 1 0 0 < 1

■ In the year preceding the interview, white males were less likely to have

been in a gang than black and Hispanic males but more likely to have carried

a gun.

Note: The white and black racial categories do not include youth of Hispanic ethnicity. Hispanic youth can be of any race.

Source: Authors’ analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 [machine-readable data file].
MARCH 2000 9

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Firearm-related suicides per 100,000 youth ages 10–19

White males

Black males

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Suicides per 100,000 youth ages 10–19

Firearm

No firearm

The rate of youth suicides involving a firearm increased 39%

between 1980 and 1994, before declining 19% to the 1996 level

Source: Authors’ analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics’ 1979–1996 data from

the compressed mortality file [unpublished data].

7% of all suicides in 1996

involved youth age 19 or younger

FBI data indicate that about 3,900

youth age 19 or younger were murdered in the U.S in 1996. The magnitude of this problem has captured

the public’s attention, but much less

attention has been given to the fact

that for every two youth murdered,

one youth commits suicide.

The National Center for Health Statistics reported that 30,903 persons

committed suicide in the U.S. in 1996.

Of these, 7% (2,119) were youth age

19 or younger. Overall, suicides increased 9% between 1980 and 1996.

For youth younger than age 15, the

increase was 113%. Despite this large

increase, these youngest suicide victims accounted for just 1% of all suicides in 1996.

Young suicide victims are

disproportionately male

and white

Males accounted for 8 in 10 youth

suicides; white youth also accounted

for 8 in 10 suicides.

Number of Suicides per

suicides 100,000 youth

Ages Ages Ages Ages

10–14 15–19 10–14 15–19

Total 298 1,817 1.6 9.7

Male 222 1,496 2.3 15.6

Female 76 321 0.8 3.5

White 244 1,522 1.6 10.3

Male 179 1,249 2.3 16.3

Female 65 273 0.9 3.8

Nonwhite 54 295 1.4 7.7

Male 43 247 2.2 12.7

Female 11 48 * 2.6

* Too few cases to obtain a reliable rate.

For every two youth (ages 0–19) murdered in 1996,

one youth committed suicide

The firearm-related suicide rate for young black males peaked in

1994 at a level higher than the rate for young white males, before

declining to the 1996 level

■ Between 1994 and 1996, firearm-related suicide rates decreased 19% for

young white males and 31% for young black males.

■ In 1996, firearm-related suicide rates for young white males declined to mid1980’s levels, while the rate for young black males was more than twice the

1980 rate.

■ Changes in firearm-related suicide rates for young black males were similar

to homicide patterns for young black males between 1980 and 1996.

Source: Authors’ analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics’ 1979–1996 data from

the compressed mortality file [unpublished data].
10 1999 National Report Series

Spain

Northern Ireland

England and Wales

Sweden

Belgium

Canada

Italy

Switzerland

Germany

Norway

Australia

Austria

France

Israel

Finland

United States

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

Homicide

Suicide

Firearm-related deaths per 100,000 juveniles ages 0–14

Rates of firearm-related

homicides and suicides are

high in the U.S.

A study conducted by the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention

compared the homicide and suicide

rates for children under age 15 in

the U.S. with the rates for several

other industrialized countries. Each

country reported data for 1 year between 1990 and 1995; U.S. data were

reported for 1993. The number of

homicides per 100,000 children under age 15 in the U.S. was five times

the number in the other countries

combined (2.57 vs. 0.51). The rate of

child homicides involving a firearm,

however, was 16 times greater in the

U.S. than in the other countries

combined (0.94 vs. 0.06).

A similar pattern was seen in the

suicide rates of children under age

15. Overall, the U.S. suicide rate was

twice the rate for the other countries combined (0.55 vs. 0.27). For

suicides involving firearms, however, the suicide rate in the U.S. was

almost 11 times the rate for the other

countries combined (0.32 vs. 0.03).

Homicide Suicide

rates* rates*

U.S. Foreign U.S. Foreign

Ages 0–4 4.10 0.95 0.00 0.00

Firearm 0.43 0.05 0.00 0.00

No firearm 3.67 0.05 0.00 0.00

Ages 5–14 1.75 0.30 0.84 0.40

Firearm 1.22 0.07 0.49 0.05

No firearm 0.53 0.24 0.35 0.35

Ages 0–14 2.57 0.51 0.55 0.27

Firearm 0.94 0.06 0.32 0.03

No firearm 1.63 0.45 0.23 0.24

* Rates are the number of homicides or suicides per 100,000 children in the age group.

Note: Data were provided by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England

and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Hong

Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait,

Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden,

Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

U.S. child homicide and suicide rates exceed rates for

other industrialized countries

Note: If both suicide and homicide rates for a country were 0, that country is not displayed

on the graph. Data were provided by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden,

Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Source: Authors’ adaptation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Rates of homicide, suicide, and firearm-related death among children—26 industrialized countries.

Homicides involving a firearm were

about 10% of all homicides among

younger children (ages 0–4) in the

U.S in 1993. In contrast, about twothirds of U.S. homicides among older

children (5–14) involved a firearm.

In other countries, firearm-related

homicides were less than onequarter of all homicides in either

age group.

While nonfirearm-related suicide

rates were the same among older

children in the U.S. and other countries (0.35), firearm-related suicide

rates in the U.S. were 10 times

greater than those in other countries

(0.49 vs. 0.05).

The U.S. firearm-related homicide rate for children is more than

twice that of Finland, the country with the next highest rate
MARCH 2000 11

Sources

Information for this Bulletin was

taken/adapted from chapters 2, 3,

and 5 of Juvenile Offenders and

Victims: 1999 National Report. For

a full listing of sources for these

chapters, see pages 49, 84, and

140 of the National Report.

Resources

The 1999 OJJDP publication Promising

Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence

(253 pp., NCJ 173950) presents profiles of 60 demonstrated or promising

programs and strategies that address

the problem of gun violence. Promising Strategies also examines the problem of gun violence from a national

perspective (including current

trends) and discusses the process of

developing a solution. Each program

profile in the publication covers program type, goals, target group, target

area, and contact information. The

profiles are arranged in five categories: comprehensive gun violence reduction strategies, strategies to interrupt sources of illegal guns, strategies

to deter illegal gun possession and

carrying, strategies to respond to illegal use of guns, and education initiatives and alternative prevention strategies. The publication also includes

a section on resources for research,

technical assistance, and education;

geographical and alphabetical program indexes; and a matrix of participating agencies. Promising Strategies

To Reduce Gun Violence is available

online from the OJJDP Web site

(www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org) under the Publications section or can be ordered

from OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (e-mail puborder@ncjrs.org;

call 800–638–8736; or write to the

Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, P.O.

Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849–6000).

Points of view or opinions expressed in this

document are those of the authors and do not

necessarily represent the official position or

policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of

Justice.

Answers to frequently asked questions about juvenile justice statistics

as well as periodic updates of data

presented in Juvenile Offenders and

Victims: 1999 National Report are

available on the Internet in the

OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book, which

can be accessed through the OJJDP

home page at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

through the JJ Facts & Figures

prompt.

Also available from OJJDP is the

Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999

National Report CD–ROM. With the 

CD–ROM, users can view the full report

in a portable document format (PDF).

The CD–ROM also provides a comprehensive “educator’s kit” that includes

the following: statistical information

from full-page, presentation-ready

graphs (also available for display in

Microsoft Powerpoint); data for the

graphs (also available in Microsoft

Excel spreadsheets); more than 40

source documents in PDF; and links

to government Web sites to obtain

more information.

For information on OJJDP initiatives

related to the reduction of juvenile

crime, violence, and victimization,

contact the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC) at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

or call 800–638–8736.

Acknowledgments

Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999

National Report, from which this

Bulletin is drawn, was prepared by

the National Center for Juvenile

Justice (NCJJ). The authors are

Howard N. Snyder and Melissa

Sickmund. The National Report

benefited from the assistance of

many individuals in addition

to the authors, including staff at

NCJJ, the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention, and

the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.

How To Get Your Free Copy

Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report is available online from the

OJJDP Web site (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org) under the JJ Facts & Figures section and

the Publications section or can be ordered from OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (hard copy NCJ 178257, CD–ROM NCJ 178991). Send an e-mail to

puborder@ncjrs.org; call 800–638–8736 (select option 2); or write to the Juvenile

Justice Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20849–6000.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the

Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the

Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National

Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.
PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

Bulletin NCJ 178994