Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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In announcing his proposed ban on flavored e-cigarette liquids, President Donald Trump cited the need to protect “innocent children.”
Fair enough. That’s a commendable goal, to be sure.
But if Trump is truly committed to safeguarding children, why won’t he protect them from gun violence by supporting expanded background checks on gun purchases, a ban on assault-type weapons and high-capacity magazines, and other reasonable gun safety policies?
The concerns over vaping are certainly valid, given reports of nine deaths in the U.S. from vape pens and e-cigarettes in recent weeks. In addition, authorities report 530 hospitalizations related to the devices, which use electricity to vaporize liquids containing such substances as nicotine and marijuana. The liquids come in a wide array of candy and fruit flavors, prompting accusations that manufacturers are targeting the products to children. Although vape pens and e-cigarettes have been marketed as safe alternatives to tobacco products, health advocates contend they’re addictive and may contain hazardous ingredients.
The rash of deaths and hospitalizations is disturbing, and it’s certainly responsible for the Trump administration to address the issue.
But let’s look at the statistics on gun violence and children.
According to the leading gun safety organization Everytown for Gun Violence, nearly 2,900 young people ages 19 or younger are shot and killed annually. Nearly 15,600 are shot and wounded.
Of the annual gun deaths among children, 58% — or 1,685 — are homicides. Thirty-six percent are suicides, while the remainder are unintentional or undetermined.
The horrific tally:
• On average, five children die in gunshot homicides per day in the U.S.
• Fifty-one children are either shot and killed, shot and wounded or take their own lives with firearms per day, on average.
According to a New England Journal of Medicine study released in December, firearms are the second-leading cause of death among Americans age 19 and younger. The study, based on statistics from 2016, showed that 15.4% of child deaths were gun-related, second only to motor-vehicle accidents (20%). More children died from gunshots than cancer (9.1%).
And that’s just the children who are hit by bullets. Many more — perhaps as many as 3 million a year, according to some estimates — suffer mental trauma by witnessing gun violence or knowing a gunshot victim. That’s not to mention the students dealing with anxiety amid active-shooter training and the ramp-up in security in the nation’s schools.
So why are gun safety policies a non-starter for Trump, especially when balanced against his apparent concerns over vaping?
Most likely, it’s because his internal polling shows he’ll lose support among his base by embracing any form of gun safety policy that the National Rifle Association opposes — meaning any policy that might reduce gun sales and eat into the profits of the gun industry.
That’s tragic. While there’s evidence suggesting vaping is bad for kids, guns are a much bigger threat.
Protecting children from the health hazards of vaping is outstanding. Refusing to protect those same kids from the ravages of gun violence by using vapid excuses is outrageous.
