Enlarge / Weapons on show throughout a buyback occasion within the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles on March 4. Los Angeles County, in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Division, hosted a voluntary gun buyback occasion providing residents reward playing cards between $100-200 worth to give up their undesirable firearms. (credit score: Getty | Jill Connelly)

Whereas gun violence has for years been among the many main causes of loss of life for US youngsters, the COVID-19 pandemic despatched it skyrocketing to the highest trigger whereas widening racial disparities.

Within the years earlier than the pandemic—from 2015 to early 2020—Black youngsters in 4 main US cities have been 27 occasions extra prone to be shot than white youngsters. However, from 2020 to the top of 2021, Black youngsters have been 100 occasions extra prone to be shot than white youngsters, based on a brand new research in JAMA Community Open. The research examined firearm assault knowledge from New York Metropolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

The research additionally discovered that Hispanic youngsters have been about 26 occasions extra prone to be shot than white youngsters throughout the pandemic, up from a relative danger of 8.6-fold previous to the well being emergency. And Asian youngsters have been about 4 occasions extra prone to be shot than white youngsters, up from a relative danger of 1.4-fold from earlier than the pandemic.