Gavin Newsom Again Falsely Claims Guns No. 1 Killer of Children

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday repeated the false claim that guns are the number one killer of children.

Newsom tweeted, “Guns are the #1 killer of kids in America. Not cancer. Not car crashes. Not drugs. GUNS.”

He went on to criticize the Republican Party, claiming GOP lawmakers are not doing anything to stop the killings.

Guns are the #1 killer of kids in America.

Not cancer. Not car crashes. Not drugs.

GUNS.

And what is the @GOP doing about it? Absolutely nothing. https://t.co/tEk8dEPr8v

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 25, 2023

On June 2, 2o22, Breitbart News pointed out President Joe Biden’s claim that guns are the number one killer of children was false.

The claim can only be substantiated if one counts 18 and 19-year-olds — individuals who are old enough to vote — as children.

The claim arises from a May 26, 2022, FOX News report on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures showing firearm-related deaths of people aged 0-19 totaled 4,368 in 2020, while motor vehicle deaths for the same age range totaled 4,036.

But Breitbart News did a custom search on the CDC numbers, limiting the category of “children” to those aged 0-17, i.e., those below voting age, and found that the data completely flipped. The number of firearm-related deaths for children aged 0-17 was 2,281 in 2020, while the number of motor vehicle deaths for the same age range was 2,503.

Biden and other leftists, including Newsom, have continued to repeat the false claim many times since June 2022.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.