Expand / Collapse search
☰

Increased gun use among Florida teens over two decades, study finds

By
Published  July 7, 2025 9:52pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News
Study: More teens are carrying guns

Study: More teens are carrying guns

FOX 13's Jordan Bowen spoke to the author of the study and a local group combating youth gun violence about the concerning trend.

The Brief

    • A new study shows 6% of Florida youth report carrying handguns—up from 3.7% in 2002.
    • The largest increases were among girls and middle school students.
    • Local leaders say prevention efforts need to start as early as elementary school.

FLORIDA - The percentage of Florida teens who say they carry handguns has jumped significantly over the last two decades. 

By the numbers:

According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, 6% of middle and high school students surveyed in 2022 admitted to carrying a handgun—compared to just 3.7% in 2002. That’s a 65% increase.

The study analyzed data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, which surveyed more than 700,000 students across the state. It found that girls are increasingly more likely to carry guns compared to boys.

Middle school students saw a higher rise in gun carrying than high school students.

Erin Wright-Kelly, a research associate with the Colorado School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said the findings were unexpected in some areas.

"Females had higher odds of increase in their carrying compared to males," Wright-Kelly said. "Middle school students had higher increases compared to high school students."

READ: Boater charged with BUI manslaughter in 2024 crash

Local perspective:

Freddy Barton, Executive Director of Safe & Sound Hillsborough, works closely with young people involved in gun-related crimes. His program brings together teen offenders with survivors of gun violence—as well as former offenders now out on parole—to spark real conversations about the consequences.

"They’re having conversations with individuals who’ve lost family members to gun violence," Barton said. "We’re seeing a need to address this in middle school. We’re having conversations with elementary school students about if you see a gun, run and go tell someone—and that’s the slogan."

Barton says the local data aligns with what he sees on the ground in Hillsborough County: more youth feel pressure to carry guns for protection.

Although more teens are carrying handguns overall, the study did find one encouraging trend: fewer students reported bringing guns to school.

That figure dropped from 1.1% to just 0.4% over the same 20-year span.

CLICK HERE:>>> Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

The Source: This article is based on a peer-reviewed study published in Pediatrics, using data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Local reaction was provided by Safe & Sound Hillsborough’s Freddy Barton, who works directly with teen gun offenders in the Tampa Bay area.

FloridaCrime and Public Safety