Gun violence is the most common cause of death for young men

In the United States, 30 percent of deaths in 2016 among young men ages 15 to 19 can be attributed to gun violence. This is significantly higher than the percentage of young men who died in motor vehicle accidents (23 percent), or of illness or disease (21 percent). All other causes of death (including non-motor vehicle accidents like drowning and poisoning) made up 26 percent of deaths in 2016.

Among young men who died in 2016, 18 percent died from homicide due to gun violence and 10 percent died from gun-inflicted suicide. Comparatively, only 12 percent of deaths were due to non-firearm homicides and suicides.