Leroy N. Soetoro
2024-11-06 22:22:27 UTC
https://www.wtae.com/article/gun-data-united-states-part-1/62558976
According to the Pew Research Center's latest poll, 84% of Americans say
gun policy will play a factor in determining who to vote for in the 2024
presidential election.
The survey took place just before the Sept. 4 mass shooting at Apalachee
High School in Winder, Georgia, which killed four people and injured nine,
the deadliest school shooting in the states history. It was the 385th
mass shooting in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The shooting prompted responses from the presidential and vice
presidential candidates of both major parties, which, in part, reiterated
to voters where they stood on the issue.
"This is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies,
and its just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United
States of America, that parents have to send their children to school,
worried about whether or not their child will come home alive," Vice
President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, said at an
event in New Hampshire. "We have to end this epidemic of gun violence in
our country once and for all."
Focusing less on guns, former President Donald Trump said, "Our hearts are
with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in
Winder, GA," in a social media post. "These cherished children were taken
from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster."
Trump's vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance, expanded on the
tickets position, delving deeper into how to prevent more mass shootings
in America.
"What is going to solve this problem? And I really do believe this is
look, I don't like this. I dont like to admit this. I dont like that
this is a fact of life," Vance said during a campaign event in Phoenix.
"But if you're a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that
our schools are soft targets, and we've got to bolster security so that
if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of
children, theyre not able to."
Guns have personally impacted Trump, as he faced two assassination
attempts less than 10 weeks apart first on July 13 at a Butler,
Pennsylvania, rally, and then on Sept. 15 at a golf course in West Palm
Beach, Florida.
Like the Georgia school shooting, those attempts stirred questions about
access to guns, particularly assault-style weapons, which were used in all
three events. It also sparked discussions about mental health and public
safety.
The topic of guns is pervasive in American politics. Its also poignant
and partisan.
So, let's examine the contentious issue that could potentially determine
the outcome of this years election.
This is a four-part series, breaking down the data, root causes, solutions
and political implications of guns and gun violence in America. This is
Part 1.
Guns and gun violence, by the numbers
By almost every gun-related metric, the United States stands out among the
pack.
According to a Small Arms Survey report, about 393 million civilian-held
firearms are in the U.S., which is about 46% of the worldwide total. By
their estimates, there are 120.5 firearms for every 100 residents.
The U.S. is also an outlier for gun violence. In 2022, the most recent
year for which data is available, there were 48,204 gun-related deaths in
America, according to the CDC. That is 14.2 deaths per 100,000 people. Put
another way: That is a gun death every 11 minutes.
According to a 2019 report, the U.S. only trailed Brazil in total firearm-
related deaths. The U.S. gun death rate ranked 22nd in the world,
situated between Guyana and Panama and behind mostly South and Central
American countries. Its gun death rate was three times higher than France,
about four times higher than Canada, about nine times higher than Germany
and 45 times higher than the United Kingdom.
Looking at homicides, a 2021 report showed that the U.S. had the highest
firearm murder rate in the world among higher-income countries with
populations of at least 10 million about three times higher than second-
place Saudi Arabia.
However, its actually suicides that make up a majority of firearm deaths
in the U.S. In 2022, there were 27,032 gun-related suicides, which was 56%
of all firearm deaths.
The U.S. only trailed Greenland for the highest suicide by firearm rate in
the world, according to a study that examined data from 1990 to 2019.
Guns also impact our populations most vulnerable at an alarming rate.
Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents,
surpassing motor vehicles in 2020.
Again, compared to other higher-income countries with populations above 10
million, the U.S. has the highest percentage of childhood deaths caused by
firearms more than four times higher than Canada, which is second.
Lastly, on mass shootings, a recent report found that the U.S. accounted
for 76% of all mass shootings in developed countries, defined by the
United Nations, between 2000 and 2022. The Rockefeller Institute of
Government characterized mass shootings as public incidents involving four
or more victim fatalities by firearm.
According to the report, the U.S. had 109 mass shootings during that time
period. The next closest was France, with six.
Zooming into the U.S. gun data, there is a sharp discrepancy between
states.
Total gun death rates top out at 29.6 per 100,000 in Mississippi, with
Louisiana (28.2), New Mexico (27.3), Alabama (25.5) and Missouri (24.2)
rounding out the top five, as shown by CDC data.
On the other end, gun death rates shrink down to as low as Rhode Islands
3.1. Following behind are Massachusetts (3.7), Hawaii (4.5), New Jersey
(5) and New York (5.3).
Notably, the leading total gun death rate states rank high in gun
ownership rates. Mississippi and Alabama are in the top 10, Louisiana is
in the top 15, and Missouri is in the top 20.
At the same time, the states with the lowest gun ownership rates are
Massachusetts (14.7%), New Jersey (14.7%), Rhode Island (14.8%), Hawaii
(14.9%) and New York (19.9%). These states also have the lowest gun death
rates.
Additionally, the states with the highest gun death rates lead the country
in total homicide rates: Mississippi (20.7), Louisiana (19.7), Alabama
(14.9), New Mexico (14.5) and Missouri (12.8) comprise the top five.
That is consistent with the fact that firearms accounted for nearly 80% of
all homicides in the U.S., according to the latest CDC data.
Moreover, the top three states in gun ownership Montana (66.3%), Wyoming
(66.2%) and Alaska (64.5%) also have the top three highest suicide
rates.
Considering these statistics and more, in 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek
Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis.
The decision was praised by the scientific community.
"Family physicians have long understood, and have seen first hand, the
devastating impact firearm violence has on our patients and the
communities we serve," American Academy of Family Physicians President
Steven Furr said at the time. Furr's organization has considered gun
violence a public health epidemic for over a decade.
It also drew the ire of gun rights advocates.
"This is an extension of the Biden Administrations war on law-abiding gun
owners," Randy Kozuch, president of the National Rifle Association (NRA),
said in a statement on social media.
Ultimately, the decision signaled a clear approach by the federal
government to get to the root of gun violence.
"It is now time for us to take this issue out of the realm of politics and
put it in the realm of public health, the way we did with smoking more
than a half-century ago," Murthy told the AP.
This is the first part of a four-part series. Read Part 2, Part 3 and Part
4 here.
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
The disease known as Kamala Harris has been effectively treated and
eradicated.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
According to the Pew Research Center's latest poll, 84% of Americans say
gun policy will play a factor in determining who to vote for in the 2024
presidential election.
The survey took place just before the Sept. 4 mass shooting at Apalachee
High School in Winder, Georgia, which killed four people and injured nine,
the deadliest school shooting in the states history. It was the 385th
mass shooting in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The shooting prompted responses from the presidential and vice
presidential candidates of both major parties, which, in part, reiterated
to voters where they stood on the issue.
"This is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies,
and its just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United
States of America, that parents have to send their children to school,
worried about whether or not their child will come home alive," Vice
President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, said at an
event in New Hampshire. "We have to end this epidemic of gun violence in
our country once and for all."
Focusing less on guns, former President Donald Trump said, "Our hearts are
with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in
Winder, GA," in a social media post. "These cherished children were taken
from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster."
Trump's vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance, expanded on the
tickets position, delving deeper into how to prevent more mass shootings
in America.
"What is going to solve this problem? And I really do believe this is
look, I don't like this. I dont like to admit this. I dont like that
this is a fact of life," Vance said during a campaign event in Phoenix.
"But if you're a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that
our schools are soft targets, and we've got to bolster security so that
if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of
children, theyre not able to."
Guns have personally impacted Trump, as he faced two assassination
attempts less than 10 weeks apart first on July 13 at a Butler,
Pennsylvania, rally, and then on Sept. 15 at a golf course in West Palm
Beach, Florida.
Like the Georgia school shooting, those attempts stirred questions about
access to guns, particularly assault-style weapons, which were used in all
three events. It also sparked discussions about mental health and public
safety.
The topic of guns is pervasive in American politics. Its also poignant
and partisan.
So, let's examine the contentious issue that could potentially determine
the outcome of this years election.
This is a four-part series, breaking down the data, root causes, solutions
and political implications of guns and gun violence in America. This is
Part 1.
Guns and gun violence, by the numbers
By almost every gun-related metric, the United States stands out among the
pack.
According to a Small Arms Survey report, about 393 million civilian-held
firearms are in the U.S., which is about 46% of the worldwide total. By
their estimates, there are 120.5 firearms for every 100 residents.
The U.S. is also an outlier for gun violence. In 2022, the most recent
year for which data is available, there were 48,204 gun-related deaths in
America, according to the CDC. That is 14.2 deaths per 100,000 people. Put
another way: That is a gun death every 11 minutes.
According to a 2019 report, the U.S. only trailed Brazil in total firearm-
related deaths. The U.S. gun death rate ranked 22nd in the world,
situated between Guyana and Panama and behind mostly South and Central
American countries. Its gun death rate was three times higher than France,
about four times higher than Canada, about nine times higher than Germany
and 45 times higher than the United Kingdom.
Looking at homicides, a 2021 report showed that the U.S. had the highest
firearm murder rate in the world among higher-income countries with
populations of at least 10 million about three times higher than second-
place Saudi Arabia.
However, its actually suicides that make up a majority of firearm deaths
in the U.S. In 2022, there were 27,032 gun-related suicides, which was 56%
of all firearm deaths.
The U.S. only trailed Greenland for the highest suicide by firearm rate in
the world, according to a study that examined data from 1990 to 2019.
Guns also impact our populations most vulnerable at an alarming rate.
Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and adolescents,
surpassing motor vehicles in 2020.
Again, compared to other higher-income countries with populations above 10
million, the U.S. has the highest percentage of childhood deaths caused by
firearms more than four times higher than Canada, which is second.
Lastly, on mass shootings, a recent report found that the U.S. accounted
for 76% of all mass shootings in developed countries, defined by the
United Nations, between 2000 and 2022. The Rockefeller Institute of
Government characterized mass shootings as public incidents involving four
or more victim fatalities by firearm.
According to the report, the U.S. had 109 mass shootings during that time
period. The next closest was France, with six.
Zooming into the U.S. gun data, there is a sharp discrepancy between
states.
Total gun death rates top out at 29.6 per 100,000 in Mississippi, with
Louisiana (28.2), New Mexico (27.3), Alabama (25.5) and Missouri (24.2)
rounding out the top five, as shown by CDC data.
On the other end, gun death rates shrink down to as low as Rhode Islands
3.1. Following behind are Massachusetts (3.7), Hawaii (4.5), New Jersey
(5) and New York (5.3).
Notably, the leading total gun death rate states rank high in gun
ownership rates. Mississippi and Alabama are in the top 10, Louisiana is
in the top 15, and Missouri is in the top 20.
At the same time, the states with the lowest gun ownership rates are
Massachusetts (14.7%), New Jersey (14.7%), Rhode Island (14.8%), Hawaii
(14.9%) and New York (19.9%). These states also have the lowest gun death
rates.
Additionally, the states with the highest gun death rates lead the country
in total homicide rates: Mississippi (20.7), Louisiana (19.7), Alabama
(14.9), New Mexico (14.5) and Missouri (12.8) comprise the top five.
That is consistent with the fact that firearms accounted for nearly 80% of
all homicides in the U.S., according to the latest CDC data.
Moreover, the top three states in gun ownership Montana (66.3%), Wyoming
(66.2%) and Alaska (64.5%) also have the top three highest suicide
rates.
Considering these statistics and more, in 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek
Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis.
The decision was praised by the scientific community.
"Family physicians have long understood, and have seen first hand, the
devastating impact firearm violence has on our patients and the
communities we serve," American Academy of Family Physicians President
Steven Furr said at the time. Furr's organization has considered gun
violence a public health epidemic for over a decade.
It also drew the ire of gun rights advocates.
"This is an extension of the Biden Administrations war on law-abiding gun
owners," Randy Kozuch, president of the National Rifle Association (NRA),
said in a statement on social media.
Ultimately, the decision signaled a clear approach by the federal
government to get to the root of gun violence.
"It is now time for us to take this issue out of the realm of politics and
put it in the realm of public health, the way we did with smoking more
than a half-century ago," Murthy told the AP.
This is the first part of a four-part series. Read Part 2, Part 3 and Part
4 here.
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
The disease known as Kamala Harris has been effectively treated and
eradicated.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.