More than one in four U.S. kids exposed to weapon violence

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More than one in four U.S. children are exposed to weapon violence before their eighteenth birthday, either as victims or witnesses, a large study suggests.

About one in 33 kids are directly assaulted during incidents involving guns or knives, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics.

“Millions of children are being exposed to violence involving weapons, and many of them are victimized by guns and knives, with an elevated risk of trauma and serious injury,” said lead study author Kimberly Mitchell, a scientist at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

All told, more than 17.5 million children in the U.S. are witnesses to, or victims of, assaults with weapons – far exceeding the number of kids who have diabetes or cancer. The experiences put them at increased risk for depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders as well as difficulties with school, work and relationships.