Once again, gun control activists in lab coats are trying to spin numbers into fear. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics is the latest attempt to convince Americans that more restrictions on our Second Amendment rights will magically solve adolescent violence. But a closer look reveals a now-familiar pattern: politically driven “research” that cherry-picks data and ignores the facts.
Medical Elites Pushing a Political Agenda
We’ve seen this before. Back in 2022, gun control advocates in the medical community claimed that firearms were the “leading cause of death among children.” That narrative was quickly dismantled — even The Washington Post’s own fact-checker Glenn Kessler called out the misleading use of data. Yet anti-gun politicians, including then-President Joe Biden, ran with the talking point anyway.
Now in 2025, the same tactics are back. This time, the JAMA Pediatrics study argues that states with “permissive” gun laws are to blame for “thousands” of adolescent firearm deaths, while so-called “strict” states are supposedly saving lives. Naturally, left-wing outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and ABC News ran with the headline — no fact-checking, no scrutiny, just fear-based messaging.
What the Raw Numbers Really Say
But here’s what they won’t tell you: when you strip away the manipulative “crude-rate adjustments” and look at the raw data from the CDC, the picture changes dramatically.
States with the most restrictive gun laws — California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and others — actually have higher unadjusted adolescent firearm death rates than states labeled “Permissive” or “Most Permissive.”
Take California and Texas. Both are huge states with very different approaches to gun rights. But when you compare actual deaths without statistical gymnastics, California has more adolescent firearm deaths than Texas — both before and after the 2010 McDonald v. Chicago ruling that reaffirmed the individual right to keep and bear arms.
So what’s the takeaway? The “science” doesn’t prove that gun control saves lives — it proves that manipulating numbers can support any agenda, especially when facts get in the way of ideology.
Real Safety Comes From Responsible Gun Ownership
While activists and biased researchers twist numbers to push for more government control, the firearm industry is doing real work to keep communities safe without infringing on rights.
Programs like Project ChildSafe® — the nation’s largest gun safety initiative — have distributed over 41 million free gun locks since 1999. Backed by more than 15,000 law enforcement partners, this effort promotes responsible storage without vilifying law-abiding gun owners.
As the program marks its 25th anniversary this year, it remains a testament to the firearm community’s commitment to safety, responsibility, and education — not fear-mongering and disinformation.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to protecting kids, we need facts, not fear. The gun control lobby is using emotional manipulation and junk science to try to scare Americans into giving up their rights. But the numbers don’t lie: freedom and responsibility go hand in hand, and the firearm industry will continue to lead with real solutions, not political theater.
Gun control only works in 2 places where they aren’t needed which is Heaven and Hell