The USA has the most firearms than any other nation in the world. Making it the topic of a lot of political discussions. A lot of these discussions force people to pass a lot of misinformation. This comes from many people on both sides at the highest office to the common person. We only aim to set the record straight. These numbers are from multiple sources with following the data presented.
Deaths since October 1st 2022 (all causes)
Suicide
The total number of deaths as of October 1st 2022 is 33,291 deaths. These deaths include all causes of deaths from homicides to police related incidents. Let’s break this number down a bit further.
The biggest contributor to this number suicides. With 18,282 deaths they add up to 54% of all gun deaths. We can break this down a little further. Only 9% of all suicides are considered preventable. This term was never specified further so we don’t have a clear understanding what this can mean. We can only infer that this has to with the person reaching out for help and not receiving it or having clear signs that no one saw.
What makes firearms so dangerous for those that are suicidal is the fact that is has the highest success rate for these individuals. Studies also shows when a person wants to commit suicide but does not have access to a firearm are 90% chance surviving any other attempt. Making firearm suicide the most effective method.
Homicide
The rest of the deaths are summed up into one category, Homicide. With 15,466 deaths this adds up to the remaining 46% of all deaths. The most being homicides with Mass murders are also the smallest amount of deaths so far in 2022. As of this year there has only been 518 deaths from mass murder shootings. This is not in any way to say mass shootings are not that big of problem. 2022 has been doing relatively good in comparison to the previous years.
Put these numbers in perspective, lets break it down to per capita per state. So the nationwide gun death per capita is 10.95. (per 100k pop.)
The top 7 states with the highest death per capita are Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Mississippi is the highest with 1.13 per 100k pop. The lowest with 1.0 is Arkansas. These states are mainly in the south and have liberal gun laws. It is safe to assume, that these guns have a major factor on this.
The states with the lowest death rate are more liberal states like Hawaii, California, Washington, Florida. Hawaii has the least deaths, which is a given since it is an Island chain. The second lowest state is California. Since California is the most populated state it should have a highest the death rate but it doesn’t. With a death rate of 0.7 it is remarkable it is able to keep it very low. Some of the main factors is the very strict gun control and high level of care they are able to provide.
Self Defense
The definition that is has been changed multiple times over the decades. We can blame the politicians for this. That being said, it is generally defined as the use of a firearm to defend and protect oneself, family, other people or property from victimization or crime. This does not mean that using the firearm to hurt someone but instead using the presence of it. For example, a criminal is trying to intimidate a person simply brandishing the firearm without using it is also considered defense use. The debate with this definition has to do with the place in which a person uses it and brandishing the firearms since technically speaking the firearm is not being used. When it comes numbers in the USA there is no clear answer or number that can be used. Due to the vary in definitions and lack of interest in this topic on a political and national scale.
Unintentional death or injury
Unintentional firearm deaths in the USA makes up the smallest percentage of deaths and injury. These deaths mostly happen to people under the age of 25. Making children the main group affected. As of October 2022 there has been 209 children (0-17) killed unintentionally and 519 injuries. This is by no means meant to give the impression that this is not a problem. This is a very big problem that primarily affects children and young adults. This number is on the rise in recent years, making it become a bigger problem. This, unsurprisingly, correlates with local and federal governments removing firearm education from schools. It used to be pretty common for local law enforcement to come to schools and explain gun safety and what to do when a person comes across the firearms. Politicians have decided that removing firearms is the better option then educating the youth causing a major divide with in the states.
Another contributing factor is the storage of firearms in a household. No education can replace good firearm etiquette. Having a firearm stored safely is by far the best solution to this problem. This comes down to local laws and culture. Many laws in more liberal states have mandated gun safes and storage devices. Making firearm ownership significantly more expensive and creating a (debatable) unconstitutional barriers. There is an understanding that if a gun in house is meant for protection locking it in a safe makes the use of that firearm more difficult. There are safes that can be easily opened with thumbprints or other faster ways. The issue with these are that they are usually easily bypassed or are so flimsy that a child could literally open it.
Conclusion
Gun deaths in the USA has always been and will always be a problem. The 2nd amendment will never be removed as it is one of the many amendments that are the backbone of American culture. Today many might not believe this but it what separates the USA from the rest of the world. To also give context, we are the only modern super power that had to take its freedom opposed to the rest of the world. Making our culture one of independence and defiance.
References
- Fast Facts: Firearm Violence Prevention .” https://www.cdc.gov, CDC, 4 May 2202, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/fastfact.html
- Gramlich, John. “What the Data Says about Gun Deaths in the U.S.” https://www.pewresearch.org, Pew Research Center, 3 Feb. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
- “2021 ACCIDENTAL GUN DEATH STATISTICS IN THE US.” https://www.aftermath.com/, Aftermath Services , Feb. 2022, https://www.aftermath.com/content/accidental-shooting-deaths-statistics/
- “How Does Gun Violence Impact the Communities You Care about?” https://everystat.org/, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 2022, https://everystat.org/
- “Firearm Deaths .” https://usafacts.org/, USA Facts, 2022, https://usafacts.org/data/topics/security-safety/crime-and-justice/firearms/firearm-deaths/