Gun-related homicide among young men in the United States rose sharply in recent years even as the overall homicide rate remained flat, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Between 1999 and 2005, homicides involving firearms among black men ages 25 to 44 increased 31 percent, and 12 percent among white men of the same age.
Meanwhile, the overall homicide rate remained between 6 and 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people during that time, according to the study published in the Journal of Urban Health. An increase in 2001 was attributed to the Sept. 11 attacks.
“The recent flatness of the U.S. homicide rate obscures the large increases in firearm death among males ages 25-44, especially black males,” study co-author Susan Baker said in a statement released Thursday.
Researchers said more research is needed to determine the cause of the increase, but factors could include exposure to lead and high rates of gun homicides during the teen years.
