Global InformationGun violence in the United States information
Gun violence is a term of political, economic and sociological interest referring to the tens of thousands of annual firearms-related deaths and injuries occurring in the United States.[2] In 2022, up to 100 daily fatalities and hundreds of daily injuries were attributable to gun violence in the United States.[3] In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics reported 38,390 deaths by firearm, of which 24,432 were suicides.[4][5] The national rate of firearm deaths rose from 10.3 people for every 100,000 in 1999 to 11.9 people per 100,000 in 2018, equating to over 109 daily deaths (or about 14,542 annual homicides).[6][7][8][9] In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S.[10] In 2010, 358 murders were reported involving a rifle while 6,009 were reported involving a handgun; another 1,939 were reported with an unspecified type of firearm.[11] In 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent crimes were committed with a firearm.[12]
According to a Pew Research Center report, gun deaths among America's children rose 50% from 2019 to 2021.[13]
Firearms are overwhelmingly used in more defensive scenarios (self-defense and home protection) than offensive scenarios in the United States.[14][15] In 2021, The National Firearms Survey, currently the nation's largest and most comprehensive study into American firearm ownership, found that privately-owned firearms are used in roughly 1.7 million defensive usage cases (self-defense from an attacker/attackers inside and outside the home) per year across the nation, compared to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (C.D.C.) report of 20,958 homicides in that same year.[16][17][18]
Legislation at the federal, state, and local levels has attempted to address gun violence through methods including restricting firearms purchases by youths and other "at-risk" populations, setting waiting periods for firearm purchases, establishing gun buyback programs, law enforcement and policing strategies, stiff sentencing of gun law violators, education programs for parents and children, and community outreach programs.
Some medical professionals express concern regarding the prevalence and growth of gun violence in America, even comparing gun violence in the United States to a disease or epidemic.[19] Relatedly, recent polling suggests up to 26% of Americans believe guns are the number one national public health threat.[20]
- ^ ● Data through 2016: "Guns / Firearm-related deaths". NSC.org copy of U.S. Government (CDC) data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 2017. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018. (archive of actual data).
● 2017 data: Howard, Jacqueline (December 13, 2018). "Gun deaths in US reach highest level in nearly 40 years, CDC data reveal". CNN. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. (2017 CDC data)
● 2018 data: "New CDC Data Show 39,740 People Died by Gun Violence in 2018". efsgv.org. January 31, 2020. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. (2018 CDC data)
● 2019-2023 data: "Past Summary Ledgers". Gun Violence Archive. January 2024. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. - ^ Cite error: The named reference
NAS-execwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lancet, The (June 4, 2022). "Gun violence in the USA: children's right to health". The Lancet. 399 (10341): 2075. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01006-6. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 35658980. S2CID 249321241.
- ^ "10 Leading Causes of Injury Deaths by Age Group Highlighting Violence-Related Injury Deaths, United States – 2018" (PDF). Injury Prevention & Control, CDC.
- ^ Firearm Injury and Death in the United States (PDF). Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California Davis. June 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Steinbrook R, Stern RJ, Redberg RF. Firearm injuries and gun violence: callfor papers.JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(5):596–597
- ^ Kaufman, Elinore J.; Morrison, Christopher N.; Olson, Erik J.; Humphreys, David K.; Wiebe, Douglas J.; Martin, Niels D.; Sims, Carrie A.; Hoofnagle, Mark H.; Schwab, C. William; Reilly, Patrick M.; Seamon, Mark J. (2020). "Universal background checks for handgun purchases can reduce homicide rates of African Americans". Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 88 (6): 825–831. doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000002689. PMID 32459448. S2CID 216479388.
- ^ "Gun deaths in US reach highest level in nearly 40 years, CDC data reveal". CNN. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ^ Deaths Due to Injury by Firearms per 100,000 Population. State Health Facts, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
- ^ "10 Leading Causes of Injury Death by Age Group Highlighting Violence-Related Injury Deaths, United States" (PDF). National Vital Statistics System. National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. 2010.
- ^ "FBI — Expanded Homicide Data Table 8". Fbi.gov. July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ "Firearm Violence, 1993-2011". Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
In 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent crimes were committed with a firearm (table 1). Homicides made up about 2% of all firearm-related crimes.
- ^ "Gun deaths among children are soaring". Axios. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Sullum, Jacob (September 9, 2022). "The largest-ever survey of American gun owners finds that defensive use of firearms is common". Reason.com. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Firearm Homicide Trends |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC". www.cdc.gov. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ English, William (May 18, 2022). "2021 National Firearms Survey: Updated Analysis Including Types of Firearms Owned". doi:10.2139/ssrn.4109494. SSRN 4109494.
- ^ Gramlich, John. "What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S." Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Largest-Ever Survey of Gun Owners Finds Diversity Increasing, Carrying Common, and More Than 1.6 Million Defensive Uses Per Year". The Reload. September 8, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. doctors warn gun violence across the U.S. is like a disease". edition.cnn.com. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Oladipo, Gloria (May 18, 2023). "Gun violence is top public health concern for quarter of Americans – poll". The Guardian. Retrieved June 14, 2023.