与枪支有关的死亡事故是美国儿童的三大死因之一。《儿科学》杂志（Pediatrics）发表的一项新研究表明，过去40年，虽然枪支持有率在下降，但1至5岁儿童中因枪支造成的死亡率却上升了。

枪支整体持有率降低，相关死亡率却上升的原因有哪些？美国的枪支持有量下降，但其中人们持有手枪的比率比步枪或霰弹枪高。研究人员解释道，手枪持有率的增加似乎正在导致死亡率上升。上述发现并不能证明两者之间的因果关系，只能说明存在相关性。但是家里有手枪仍然是一个直接影响到家家户户健康和安全的问题，对于有小孩的家庭尤其如此。研究者建议家中存放枪支时要上锁，不要上膛，弹药应该单独锁在其它地方。

该研究的主要作者、新西兰惠灵顿维多利亚大学的家庭社会学家和人口学家凯特·普里克特告诉美国有线电视新闻网络（CNN），“我们担心孩子们的死因是本可以预防的原因，想研究如何防止这种情况发生。”

之前的研究表明，一个人的居住地和身份决定了被枪杀的可能性，在美国，每10万人中就有4人死于枪杀。有6个国家的枪击死亡人数合计占全球总数的一半，美国就是其中之一。（财富中文网）

译者：Agatha

Firearm-related fatalities are among the top three causes of death for children in the United States. And according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, the firearm-related mortality rate among children ages 1 to 5 has increased over a 40 year period, even as firearm ownership has declined.

One reason for the mortality rate increase despite the overall ownership decrease? Firearm ownership is down in the U.S., but among gun owners, it is more likely someone will own a handgun than a rifle or shotgun. That increase in handgun ownership appears to be driving the mortality rate increase, the study’s researchers explained. These findings do not prove causation, only association. But handgun ownership in a household is still a health and safety issue that directly impacts families, especially those with young children. The study authors recommend that firearms stored in a home be locked away, stored unloaded, and that ammunition should be locked away in a separate location.

“We are concerned that children are dying from preventable reasons and wanted to study ways to keep this from happening,” Kate Prickett, the study’s lead author, and a family sociologist and demographer at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, told CNN.

Previous studies have shown that where you live and who you are determine your risk for being shot to death, and in terms of gun homicides, the U.S. has four per every 100,000 people. The U.S. is one of six nations that, combined, account for half of all gun deaths around the world.