This increase was fueled entirely by the use of handguns. Colorado experienced a similar trend, although the time of onset was the late 1980s. For both the nation and Colorado, males, ages 15-18, using handguns as lethal weapons drove this trend. While the national and Colorado trends are similar, the recent youth homicide rates in Colorado are about half the magnitude of the national rates.
Youth are three times more likely than adults to be victims of violence.
One quarter of youth violent victimizations involve the use of a firearm. Guns in Schools Nationally, more than 6,000 students were expelled for carrying a gun to school during the 1996-97 year. Colorado youth carry weapons to school at the same rate as the national average, but are less likely to carry guns in other places. Despite the prevalence of gun carrying in schools, school shootings still remain relatively rare events. A National Study With Trends and Patterns for the State of Colorado .