ST. PAUL THIS WEEK LEFT ONE TEENAGER DEAD AND THREE MORE INJURED.

IT'S THE LATEST IN AN ALARMING TREND OF JUVENILE GUN VIOLENCE IN RECENT YEARS.

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS RELEASED A STUDY THIS WEEK THAT SHOWED THAT GUN VIOLENCE IS NOW THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL FATAL AND NONFATAL INJURIES AMONG CHILDREN.

DR. ANUPAM KHARBANDA IS A PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN AND THE CHIEF OF CRITICAL CARE SERVICES AT CHILDREN'S MINNESOTA.

WELCOME TO "ALMANAC," DOCTOR.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: I'M SORRY YOU HAVE TO BE HERE IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

I MEAN, MY GOODNESS, THE FIGURES ARE EYE POPPING.

THE RATES OF UN VIOLENCE AMONG CHILDREN HAS SKYROCKETED 8 %, IT'S THE OP -- 87%, IT'S THE TOP CAUSE OF DEATH AND INJURY.

WHAT IS GOING ON?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE PAPER THAT CAME OUT IN "PEDIATRICS" THIS PAST WEEK I THINK BUILDS ON A MULTITUDE OF ARTICLES THAT HAVE COME OUT SINCE THE PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTING THE RATES OF GUN VIOLENCE AND FIREARM INJURIES THAT HAVE BEEN INCREASING OVER THE DECADE, FROM 2011 THROUGH 2021.

AND THIS DRAMATIC INCREASE HAS BEEN FUELED BY IN TWO GROUPS.

SO THE FIRST IS HOMICIDES AND THE SECOND IS SUICIDES.

AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHY ARE THESE HAPPENING, YOU CAN ALSO BREAK IT UP BY AGE GROUP.

UNDER AGE 12, WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THESE INJURIES ARE OCCURRING IN THE HOME DUE TO FIREARMS.

PROBABLY, WE SPECULATE, GUNS OR FIREARMS THAT WERE NOT LOCKED UP.

AND THEN FROM 13 TO 20, THOSE INJURIES ARE PREDOMINANTLY HOMICIDES THAT ARE OCCURRING ON THE STREET, SO SOME TYPE OF GUN VIOLENCE OR GANG-RELATED VIOLENCE AT SOME POINT.

>> Eric: PROPER STORAGE WOULD BE LOW-HANGING FRUIT, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO BE AGAINST THAT IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT DEBATES AND SO FORTH?

>> I THINK THAT'S OFTEN A TRICKY QUESTION FOR ME TO ANSWER AS A PHYSICIAN.

I TEND TO STICK AT THE POINT THAT WE WANT TO PREVENT INJURIES IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH WOULD THAT HELP?

>> VERY CLEARLY, LOCKING UP GUNS IN YOUR HOME, NUMBER ONE.

NUMBER TWO, LOCKING THEM UNLOADED.

TWO, LOCKING THE AMMO SEPARATELY FROM THE GUN IS SHOWN TO BE HELPFUL.

SO, F WE COULD CONVINCE PEOPLE TO DO THAT, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANTED TO COME ON THE SHOW TODAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IN A STATE WHERE WE VALUE, YOU KNOW, HUNTING AND BEING OUTSIDE, IN THE OUTDOORS, IT'S PART OF OUR CULTURE, I KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE FIREARMS.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I'M HERE TO SAY IS RIGHT OR WRONG, BUT I'M SAYING, IF YOU HAVE ONE, LOCK IT UP, AS YOU'VE SUGGESTED.

AND KEEP THE AMMO SEPARATE.

>> Cathy: THE LEGISLATURE PASSED SEVERAL BILLS THIS PAST SESSION.

AND I KNOW THAT YOU WERE AT THE LEGISLATURE AND OTHER PHYSICIANS WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THIS.

DOES SOME OF THE GUN CONTROL BILLS THAT PASSED, MIGHT THEY BE HELPFUL IN THIS SITUATION?

>> I THINK THEY'RE A START, RIGHT?

SO WHEN WE THINK OF FIREARM PREVENTION, I THINK WE THINK OF IT IN SORT OF FOUR CATEGORIES TO TRY TO REDUCE THINGS.

YOU THINK OF THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL CHANGES THAT WE CAN DO, LIKE THE GUN LOCKING OF SOME TYPE.

THINK OF COMMUNITY-LEVEL CHANGES, LIKE THE NEXT PROGRAM, THAT CHILDREN'S AND HENNEPIN HEALTHCARE ARE A PART OF.

THINK OF LEGISLATIVE CHANGES, THOSE WOULD BE THINGS LIKE BACKGROUND CHECKS, RED FLAG LAWS, SO IF YOU HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION OR LOCKED UP IN A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A GUN.

AND THEN ASSAULT WEAPON BANS.

SO, THE THINGS THAT WERE PASSED BY GOVERNOR WALZ, IN PARTICULAR, THEY EXPANDED THE BACKGROUND CHECKS AND THEY WERE SOME OF THE RED FLAG LAWS.

THEY DIDN'T IMPACT A COUPLE THINGS.

NUMBER ONE, HOW DO WE FUND THIS RESEARCH?

FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE INVOLVED IN GUN VIOLENCE, WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE GOOD FUNDING SOURCES FOR PROGRAMS LIKE THE NEXT PROGRAM.

AND THE SECOND THING IS WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD FUNDING SOURCE FOR GUN STORAGE AND A WAY TO PROPERLY SUPERVISE OR POLICE IT.

>> Eric: I WAS INTERESTED IN YOUR ANALOGY THAT THIS IS A LITTLE IT LIKE BIKE HELMETS AND SEAT BELTS.

CONDUCT CAN CHANGE.

>> ABSOLUTELY CAN CHANGE.

AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS REALLY, I THINK, EYE POPPING IN THE CURRENT STUDY.

IT SHOWED DIVERGENT SORT OF TRENDS.

YOU SEE FIREARM INJURIES DRAMATICALLY INCREASING, WHEREAS, OTHER TYPES OF INJURIES THAT OCCUR IN KIDS HAS ACTUALLY STARTED TO LEVEL OFF AND, IN FACT, DROP.

SO, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, WHICH USED TO BE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE, WITH THE MORE ADVENT OF PEOPLE WEARING SEAT BELTS, BOOSTER SEATS, THE WEARING OF HELMETS WHILE PEOPLE BIKE, THESE ARE NORMS NOW FOR MANY OF US IN OUR STATE AND IN OUR COUNTRY.

THOSE HAVE REALLY REVERSED A TREND.

SO IF WE COULD GET INDIVIDUALS TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, NUMBER ONE, I'M GOING TO LOCK UP MY GUN, IF I HAVE ONE IN THE HOUSE.

NUMBER TWO, WE'RE GOING TO PREVENT THESE FIREARMS FROM GETTING INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS OR IF THEY HAVE A PRIOR HISTORY.

THIRD, WE FIND A WAY TO INTERRUPT THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

THESE WILL ALL BE WAYS THAT WE CAN REDUCE THIS TREND.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU SAY PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY, WHAT -- TELL US WHAT THAT MEANS EXACTLY.

>> IN OUR FIELD, IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE, WE TEND TO FOCUS SOMETIMES ON A DISASTER OF SOME TYPE, WHICH IMPACTS LARGE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THE SETTING, BUT WE HAVE TO ALSO CONSIDER WHAT IS IMPACTING OUR CHILDREN ON A DAILY LEVEL?

WE SOMETIMES FOCUS IN ON CANCER, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS A BIG DEAL AND VERY IMPACTFUL.

BUT IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, EVERY YEAR 50 KIDS DAY -- DIE FROM GUN VIOLENCE, THOSE ARE 50 CASES THAT DON'T NEED TO OCCUR.

IN THE COUNTRY, 2,500 DIED OF FIREARM INJURIES IN 2022.

THOSE ARE ALL UNNECESSARY DEATHS.

A GOOD CHUNK OF THEM WERE DUE TO SUICIDES.

SO IF WE CAN FIND A WAY TO PREVENT THEM AND WE KNOW THEY'RE PREVENTABLE, RIGHT, IF WE COULD LOMB UP HE GUNS, WE COULD ET THEM OUT OF THE WRONG HANDS, IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO BREAK THE CYCLE, THAT'S WHAT NEEDS TO OCCUR.

LOCK UP THE GUNS.