Gun violence stands as a modern worldwide concern regarding human rights. Acts of violence involving firearms jeopardize the very core of our essential human entitlement—the right to life. The specter of gun violence casts a daily shadow, casting its tragic influence over the lives of countless individuals across the globe. With each passing day, over 500 lives are extinguished due to acts of violence carried out using firearms. No one remains immune to the reach of firearm-related violence, though there exist situations where its impact disproportionately falls upon communities of diverse ethnicities, women, and other marginalized segments of society. The mere presence of firearms at times cultivates an atmosphere of unease and apprehension, instilling a profound and lasting psychological impact upon individuals and entire communities, thereby endangering their overall well-being.
What is Gun Violence?
Gun violence entails acts of aggression perpetrated through the utilization of firearms, such as handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, or machine guns.
How Many People Die From Gun Related Violence Worldwide?
Each day, over 500 lives are lost due to the grim toll of gun violence. A staggering 44% of all worldwide homicides are entangled with gun-related incidents. Between the years 2012 and 2016, a tragic tally of 1.4 million deaths across the globe can be attributed to firearms. While predominantly affecting young men, the specter of gun violence also hovers perilously over women, who face a heightened vulnerability to firearm-related harm at the hands of intimate partners. Moreover, firearms can serve as enablers of sexual violence.
How Many People Are Injured By Gunshots Worldwide?
Daily, a grim estimate of 2,000 individuals falls victim to gunshot injuries. A staggering minimum of 2 million souls worldwide bear the burden of firearm-inflicted wounds, enduring their aftermath. The far-reaching impact of gun violence, or even the looming specter of it, manifests in the form of enduring and profound psychological repercussions that afflict millions across individuals, families, and entire communities.
Gunshot injuries wield a transformative power, often leaving an enduring mark on victims’ mental and physical well-being. The repercussions are indelible, altering the course of their lives. For some, the wounds necessitate unceasing, lifelong care, while countless others grapple with the loss of their capacity to engage in employment, particularly in physically demanding vocations. Regrettably, initiatives providing comprehensive, enduring support encompassing rehabilitation, sustained care, and job retraining are distressingly scarce.
The toll inflicted by gun violence resonates across victims, their families, and the medical fraternity, giving rise to an ongoing public health crisis—a crisis that governmental intervention has thus far scarcely addressed. Within this context, the imperative of accessible and affordable healthcare in the United States extends to encompass essential, long-term health interventions. These interventions encompass not only sustained pain management and rehabilitation but also a host of supportive services, including mental health care, which is of paramount importance.
How Many Guns Are Produced Every Year Globally?
Annually, the production of new small arms reaches a staggering total of 8 million units, accompanied by the manufacture of a substantial volume of up to 15 billion rounds of ammunition.
In terms of economic value, the trade in small arms constitutes a considerable market, with an estimated worth of approximately US$8.5 billion each year.
Gun violence holds the potential to undermine the most foundational of human rights—the right to life. In this context, it becomes the responsibility of states to proactively combat both imminent and foreseeable threats to life, necessitating the implementation of measures to safeguard individuals from the scourge of gun violence.
In cases where a state fails to exercise sufficient control over the ownership and usage of firearms by private citizens, this lapse may indeed transgress their obligations under the framework of international human rights law. Such inaction could amount to a breach of the state’s duty to protect its citizens’ rights to life and personal security.
The dynamics of firearm violence, when perpetrated by private entities, are inextricably intertwined with socio-economic factors. This menace often concentrates its grip on impoverished urban neighborhoods characterized by elevated crime rates. Such conditions frequently encompass illicit drug trade, subpar policing practices that do not adhere to internationally recognized human rights and law enforcement standards, as well as inadequate access to essential public services.
The unchecked availability and widespread proliferation of firearms within these contexts yield a far-reaching impact that extends across the spectrum of human rights, profoundly affecting the broader community.
What Data Says About Gun Violence In The United States? (Pew Research)
In 2021, a higher number of Americans succumbed to injuries caused by firearms than in any other year on record, as indicated by the latest data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This grim tally encompassed unprecedented figures for both firearm-related homicides and suicides. Despite this surge in fatalities, the rate of gun-related deaths, a metric adjusted to accommodate the nation’s expanding population, remained comparatively lower than the levels witnessed in preceding decades.
Below, we delve deeper into the landscape of gun-related fatalities in the United States, drawing insights from a comprehensive analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center, utilizing information gleaned from the CDC, the FBI, and various other authoritative sources.
How Many People Die From Gun Related Injuries in The USA Each Year? (Pew)
In the year 2021, which represents the most recent period for which comprehensive data is accessible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a total of 48,830 individuals in the United States lost their lives due to injuries stemming from firearms. This count encompasses incidents of both gun-related homicides and suicides. Additionally, the CDC monitors three less prevalent categories of gun-related fatalities: accidental deaths, cases involving law enforcement, and instances where the circumstances surrounding the deaths could not be definitively determined. It’s important to note that this comprehensive total does not encompass deaths where gunshot injuries played a contributory role rather than being the primary cause of death. (The fatality statistics provided by the CDC are based on information derived from official death certificates, which typically designate a singular cause of death.)
What Share of USA Gun Deaths Are Murders and What Shares Are Suicides? (Pew)
While gun-related homicides often command more public scrutiny, it is worth noting that suicides have consistently constituted the predominant portion of firearm-related deaths in the United States. Specifically, in the year 2021, a substantial 54% of the overall gun-related fatalities in the U.S., as documented by the CDC, were attributed to suicides, equating to 26,328 lives tragically lost. Comparatively, gun-related homicides accounted for 43% of these deaths (20,958 cases). The remaining incidents of gun-related fatalities for that year comprised accidental occurrences (549), situations involving law enforcement (537), or instances where the circumstances were indeterminable (458).
What Shares of All Murders and Suicides in The USA Involve A Gun? (Pew)
In 2021, approximately eighty percent of murders in the United States, which equates to 20,958 out of a total of 26,031 cases, were perpetrated using firearms. This statistic represents the highest proportion observed since at least 1968, which is the earliest year for which online records are accessible through the CDC.
Similarly, when examining suicides during the same year, over half of these tragic occurrences, specifically 26,328 out of 48,183 cases, involved the use of firearms. This marks the most substantial percentage recorded since the year 2001.
Which States Have The Highest and Lowest Gun Death Rates In The USA? (Pew)
The prevalence of gun-related fatalities displays considerable variation across different states. During the year 2021, those states that recorded the highest overall rates of gun-related deaths—factoring in murders, suicides, and all other categories monitored by the CDC—were Mississippi (with a rate of 33.9 per 100,000 individuals), followed by Louisiana (29.1), New Mexico (27.8), Alabama (26.4), and Wyoming (26.1).
In contrast, states exhibiting the lowest overall rates of gun-related deaths included Massachusetts (at a rate of 3.4), Hawaii (4.8), New Jersey (5.2), New York (5.4), and Rhode Island (5.6).
When examining gun murder and gun suicide rates as distinct categories, the findings reveal some differences. In the year 2021, locales with the highest gun murder rates encompassed the District of Columbia (with a rate of 22.3 per 100,000 individuals), followed by Mississippi (21.2), Louisiana (18.4), Alabama (13.9), and New Mexico (11.7).
On the contrary, regions registering the lowest gun murder rates included Massachusetts (at a rate of 1.5), alongside Idaho (1.5), Hawaii (1.6), Utah (2.1), and Iowa (2.2). It’s worth noting that rate estimates are unavailable for the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wyoming in this context.
In the year 2021, when scrutinizing gun suicide rates individually, the states with the most elevated rates included Wyoming (at a rate of 22.8 per 100,000 individuals), Montana (21.1), Alaska (19.9), New Mexico (13.9), and Oklahoma (13.7).
Conversely, those states exhibiting the lowest gun suicide rates comprised Massachusetts (with a rate of 1.7), New Jersey (1.9), New York (2.0), Hawaii (2.8), and Connecticut (2.9). It’s important to note that rate estimates for the District of Columbia are not available in this context.
How Many People Are Killed In Mass Shootings Every Year in The USA? (Pew)
Responding to this question presents challenges due to the absence of a universally agreed-upon definition for the term “mass shooting.” Definitions can diverge based on factors like the number of victims and the contextual specifics of each incident.
The FBI maintains a record of “active shooter incidents,” defining them as situations where one or more individuals are actively engaged in attempting to kill people within a populated area. By this FBI definition, excluding the shooters, a total of 103 individuals lost their lives in such incidents during the year 2021.
In contrast, the Gun Violence Archive, an online repository for gun-related incidents in the U.S., characterizes mass shootings as occurrences in which four or more individuals sustain gunshot wounds, even if no fatalities result (excluding the shooters). Following this classification, a grim tally of 706 individuals fell victim to these incidents in 2021.
Irrespective of the specific definition employed, the casualties stemming from mass shooting incidents in the United States constitute only a minor proportion of the overall gun-related homicides that transpire across the nation annually.
What Type of Firearms Are Commonly Used? (Pew)
In the year 2020, which stands as the most recent period for which the FBI has released data, handguns featured in 59% of the 13,620 gun-related homicides and non-negligent manslaughters recorded in the United States. This category is drawn from cases for which data has been made available. Rifles, encompassing firearms sometimes colloquially referred to as “assault weapons,” were implicated in 3% of firearm-related murders, while shotguns accounted for 1%. The remaining portion of gun homicides and non-negligent manslaughters (36%) involved other types of firearms or fell under the classification of “type not stated.”
It’s important to acknowledge that the FBI’s statistics do not encompass all the intricacies of gun-related murders transpiring across the U.S. annually. The data curated by the FBI is derived from information voluntarily provided by police departments throughout the nation. However, not all agencies partake in this reporting, and even among those that do, complete and comprehensive information may not be consistently furnished each year.
Mass Shootings So Far In 2023
I have exclusively listed 20 of the most recent mass shootings in the United States.
| August 6th | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 7 Injured |
| August 6th | Washington, DC | 3 Killed & 4 Injured |
| August 5th | Kansas City, Missouri | 4 Injured. |
| August 5th | Lafayette, Louisiana | 1 Killed & 4 Injured |
| August 3rd | Los Angeles, California | 4 Injured |
| August 2nd | Pinebluff, Arkansas | 5 Injured. |
| August 2nd | Chicago, Illinois | 1 Killed & 3 Injured |
| July 31st | Columbus, Mississippi | 4 Injured |
| July 30th | Lansing, Michigan | 5 Injured |
| July 30th | Muncie, Indiana | 1 Killed & 17 Injured |
| July 30th | Chicago, Illinois | 1 Killed & 8 Injured |
| July 30th | Port Arthur, Texas | 7 Injured |
| July 30th | Springfield, Massachusetts | 4 Injured |
| July 29th | Los Angeles, California | 1 Killed and 3 Injured |
| July 28th | Tampa, Florida | 1 Killed and 3 Injured |
| July 28th | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 4 Injured |
| July 28th | Seattle, Washington | 5 Injured |
| July 28th | Chicago Heights, Illinois | 1 Killed and 4 Injured |
| July 25th | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 5 Injured |
| July 24th | Tusla, Oklahoma | 3 Killed and 1 Injured |
| July 24th | Bronx, New York | 1 Killed and 3 Injured |
| July 23rd | Tampa, Florida | 5 Injured |
United States Senators Who Voted Against Gun Control In 2022
- John Barrasso, Wyoming.
- Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee.
- John Boozman, Arkansas.
- Mike Braun, Indiana.
- Tom Cotton, Arkansas.
- Mike Crapo, Idaho.
- Ted Cruz, Texas.
- Steve Danes, Montana.
- Deb Fisher, Nebraska.
- Chuck Grassley, Iowa.
- Bill Hagerty, Tennessee.
- Josh Hawley, Missouri.
- John Hoeven, North Dakota.
- Cindy Smith, Mississpi.
- Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma.
- Ron Johnson, Wisconsin.
- John Kennedy, Louisanna.
- James Lankford, Oklahoma.
- Mike Lee, Utah.
- Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
- Roger Marshall, Kansas
- Jerry Moran, Kansas
- Rand Paul, Kentucky
- Jim Risch, Idaho
- Mike Rounds, South Dakota
- Marco Rubio, Florida
- Ben Sasse, Nebraska
- Rick Scott, Florida
- Tim Scott, South Carolina
- Richard Shelby, Alabama
- Dan Sullivan, Alaska
- John Thune, South Dakota
- Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
- Roger Wicker, Mississippi
If you want to see more of my facts and statistics posts here!
Love, Bee xx
This is interesting, it’s increasing nowadays and it is not good. We need to stop this madness.