"Gun violence is by far the leading cause of death for young African American men, outstripping the next nine causes of death combined."
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Hillary Clinton says guns exceed next nine categories as leading cause of death for young black men
In a speech posted on Medium, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton offered a striking statistic about gun violence and minority youth.
"Gun violence," she wrote, "is by far the leading cause of death for young African-American men, outstripping the next nine causes of death combined."
We wondered whether this is correct, so we took a closer look.
We found the relevant data on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Using this search form, we collected data on the 10 most common causes of death for African-American men and boys between the ages of 15 and 24, for 2014.
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Rank
Cause of death
Number of deaths
Number gun-related
1st
Homicide
2,416
2nd
Unintentional injuries
1,135
3rd
Suicide
448
4th
Heart disease
172
--
5th
Cancer
161
--
6th
HIV
52
--
7th
Chronic lower respiratory diseases
47
--
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8th
Congenital anomalies
38
--
9th
Anemia
33
--
10th
Diabetes
33
--
Total, 2nd through 9th place
--
2,119
--
So even if you look only at gun-related homicides, there were 2,256 of those in 2014, compared to 2,119 deaths in the next nine categories combined. This makes Clinton’s statement correct.
If you add in the accidents and suicides related to guns, the gap between gun-related deaths and other types of deaths expands even further.
There were 2,533 gun-related deaths in all 10 categories combined, compared to 2,002 deaths in the top 10 categories that had nothing to do with guns.
We should note that this statement is dependent on the age range chosen. For instance, the statement is not correct for African-American boys between age 10 and 14. There were 38 gun-related homicides in that age and racial group in 2014, plus 10 gun suicides and three unintentional injuries caused by guns, for a total of 51. By contrast, the top 10 causes of death for that age and racial group included 271 deaths that had nothing to do with guns, such as diseases.
That said, we think Clinton’s definition of "young" as 15-24 is a reasonable one.
Our ruling
Clinton said, "Gun violence is by far the leading cause of death for young African-American men, outstripping the next nine causes of death combined."
As long as you define "young" as being between the ages of 15 and 24, Clinton’s statement is accurate, according to CDC data. We rate the statement True.
Our Sources
Hillary Clinton, "Breaking down barriers for African Americans" (Medium post), Feb. 17, 2016
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Leading Causes of Death Reports, National and Regional, 1999-2014" (main search form), accessed March 15, 2016
Email interview with Josh Schwerin, spokesman for Hillary Clinton, March 15, 2016
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Hillary Clinton says guns exceed next nine categories as leading cause of death for young black men
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