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Firearm injuries surged among King County teens, hitting hardest among older males and marginalized groups, underscoring urgent local prevention needs.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study published in June 2025 in the issue of BMC Pediatrics to examine adolescent firearm injury trends using localized data to uncover disparities masked by national statistics.  

They used data from a Level I Trauma Center and death records to analyze adolescent firearm injuries in King County, Washington, between 2011 and 2021. Incidence rates were calculated annually per 100,000 population. Trends were evaluated based on fatality, intent, race, ethnicity, age, and sex.  

The results showed that the annual incidence of OA firearm injury rose from 18.1 to 24.9 per 100,000 persons between 2011 and 2021 (P= 0.003), with the peak in 2020 at 26.5 and the lowest in 2013 at 11.5 per 100,000 persons [2011–2021]. Nonfatal injuries accounted for 71.4% and reached their highest rate in 2020 (18.7 per 100,000 persons), while fatal injuries peaked in 2021 at 8.0 per 100,000 persons. Assault-related injuries made up 73.7% of cases, were nonfatal in 81.7%, and showed a significant rise over time (P< 0.001). Self-inflicted injuries occurred more frequently than unintentional ones and were fatal in 92.5% of cases. The highest firearm injury rates were among adolescents aged 18–19, males, and those identifying as racial or ethnic minorities.  

Investigators concluded that firearm injuries rose among adolescents of King County, with the highest impact on older males and racially and ethnically marginalized groups. 

Source: bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-025-05816-0