Florida sees sharp rise in teens, especially girls, carrying handguns
Key Points(5)
- While general handgun carrying rose, the study found a 60% decline in students carrying firearms on school grounds — from 1.1% in 2002 to 0.4% in 2022.
- <p data-start="1609" data-end="1723">They acknowledged limitations to the study, including the use of self-reported data, which may be subject to bias.</p> <p data-start="1725" data-end="2141">The findings come amid broader concerns about youth gun violence.
- Firearms are now the leading cause of death among U.S.
- children and teenagers, with fatal and nonfatal gun injuries spiking over the last decade.
- A separate study published in <em data-start="1967" data-end="1984">JAMA Pediatrics</em> last month found that pediatric gun deaths rose in states with weaker firearm laws, while remaining stable or declining in states with stricter regulations.</p>
Despite growing concern over gun violence involving youth, a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics has found a significant increase in handgun carrying among Florida adolescents over the past two decades.
According to the research, general handgun carrying among Florida middle and high school students rose by 65% — from 3.7% in 2002 to 6.0% in 2022. The largest increases were seen among females, middle school-aged teens, and white students.
“These findings indicate the need to specifically tailor earlier prevention strategies focused on handgun access and carrying toward female and middle school students,” the authors wrote. They also emphasized the continued importance of focusing on rural and male adolescents, who still show the highest prevalence of carrying firearms.
The analysis drew on data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, with more than 700,000 student responses examined. While general handgun carrying rose, the study found a 60% decline in students carrying firearms on school grounds — from 1.1% in 2002 to 0.4% in 2022. Favorable attitudes toward bringing handguns to school also dropped by 39%.
The authors noted that these declines may appear contradictory, given the rise in school shootings in recent decades, but may reflect increased school security measures such as access control, visitor check-ins, and more law enforcement presence on campuses.
Florida has experienced several high-profile school shootings over the past decade, including the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed and 17 more injured, and more recently, the mass shooting on the campus of Florida State University in April.They acknowledged limitations to the study, including the use of self-reported data, which may be subject to bias.
The findings come amid broader concerns about youth gun violence. Firearms are now the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teenagers, with fatal and nonfatal gun injuries spiking over the last decade. A separate study published in JAMA Pediatrics last month found that pediatric gun deaths rose in states with weaker firearm laws, while remaining stable or declining in states with stricter regulations.
