Mindless ‘March for Our Lives’ gun control kids have bigger worries than guns

While a group of know-it-all, know-nothing, arrogant adolescent (OK, that’s all redundant and self defining) puppets gather around the country, especially in Washington, D.C., for a celebrity-funded, virtue-signaling, and otherwise mysteriously funded so-called March for Our Lives, mouthing their string-pullers’ slogans, their peers are dying of other, non-trendy causes.  According to the Centers for Disease Control: 

Leading causes of deaths among adolescents aged 15 – 19 years:

• Accidents (unintentional injuries)
• Suicide
• Homicide

While the teenies are marching and screeching and generally having a self-centered good time pitying themselves while telling adults what to do, let’s further pursue the major causes of adolescent death and injuries.  

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults, including— 

• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence
• Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection
• Alcohol and other drug use
• Tobacco use
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors
• Inadequate physical activity

Oh.

Given the publicity for the recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida, violent behavior among adolescents toward adolescents seems to have increased.  But no, adolescents are adolescents, and violence in adolescent society has generally remained stable over the past 25 years.  As a matter of fact, some categories, such as carrying a weapon on school property, being threatened with a weapon on school property, and being in a physical fight on school property, have decreased.  

Carried a weapon on school property (such as, a gun, knife, or club, on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey) Decreased 1993—2015 Decreased 1993—1997 Decreased 1997—2015 Decreased

Sadly, there is an exception in these statistics  –  one that will not be addressed by the marchers because it is too…racist, sexist, ruinous to the narrative.  

• Among teenagers, non-Hispanic black males have the highest death rate (94.1 deaths per 100,000 population).
• Homicide is the leading cause of death for non-Hispanic black male teenagers.  For all other groups, accident is the leading cause.

The deaths of these black males are usually caused by other black males.  Using guns.  Illegally obtained. 

But these victims won’t be numerous at the marches.  Those who will attend and preen and whine are in more danger of injury or death by something as mundane as preventable accidents.  Boring!

Deaths to teenagers 12-19 years comprise a small fraction of the total deaths occurring each year in the United States. From 1999 to 2006 less than 1 percent (0.68 percent) – or 131,000 deaths – occurred to teenagers 12-19 years. This represents an average of 16,375 deaths per year for this group. Teenage mortality is an important public health issue because the majority of deaths among teenagers are caused by external causes of injury such as accidents, homicide, and suicide. These causes of death are, by definition, preventable.

And what type of accidents causes the most adolescent deaths?  

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.  Six teens ages 16 to 19 die every day from motor vehicle injuries.  Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are nearly three times more likely than drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash.

Fortunately, teen motor vehicle crashes are preventable, and proven strategies can improve the safety of young drivers on the road.

But planning a safe driving march for teens, with tips on avoiding drinking or drugging and driving  (shush, shush – especially among adolescent males, especially among adolescent black males – shush, shush) is not on the agenda of the march’s puppet masters and their funders.  Nor are the reasons for it, nor are the reasons for an increase in suicide among adolescents.  Again, these boring but vital causes just aren’t trending, just aren’t of interest to the glittering celebs nor of the…let’s say it: those who want to confiscate guns. 

So, as a former adolescent, I’ll give the teenage marchers some advice: don’t drink and drive.  Teenage suicide is increasing.  Guide your friends – or yourself – to your school’s counselors or other helpful, knowledgeable people.

And look around and see who is pulling your strings for his own benefit, not yours.  That way, hopefully, you’ll survive to be a wise 30-plus person like me lamenting how youth is wasted on the young.