Death from Gun-Related Injuries and Suicides
It has been a while since I have covered the issue of bullet spewing weapons on Angry Bear. For the record, I own and I shoot. My weapons are trigger locked and ammo is separate from them. I am also an XMarine Sergeant. My experience is extensive.
My training with an M14 and M1s was extensive. Even so, they are not for show, loaded, or left out. Best household weapon I have is Minnie our young German Shepherd who is suspicious of everything. She likes women.
How many people die from gun-related injuries in the US each month?
An estimated 3.9K in May 2024, the most recent month for which data is available. This includes homicides, suicides, accidents, and other incidents where a shooting was considered the primary cause of death. This went to pint December 2024. The numeric is relatively accurate for the United States.
According to preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gun-related deaths were 5% lower in May 2024 than they were the previous month.
Some Data which is relevant to 2024
The number of gun-related deaths in the US changes each year. Between January and May 2024, an estimated 18,600 people died from gun-related injuries. This is 4% fewer people than had died during the same point in 2023.
To understand how frequently these deaths happen, it helps to look at the rate at which they occur. In 2023, about 13.8 out of every 100,000 people in the United States died from a gun-related injury. For context, around 13.0 out of every 100,000 people in the United States died in a motor vehicle accident that year.
Intent
The CDC also reports the intent behind gun-related deaths when known. These intents can include homicide, suicide, and accidents, as well as other categories like law enforcement intervention.
In 2023, 95% of gun-related deaths were either suicides or homicides. While the instances of both suicides and homicides have fluctuated over time, suicide has made up the largest percentage of gun-related deaths since at least 1979. In 2023, about 55% of all gun-related deaths were suicides.
Gun-related death rates differ between states. The CDC notes that complex factors influenced these differences, including social, economic, and community conditions like poverty and racial or ethnic inequities.
State Data
In 2023, the rate of gun-related deaths was lowest in Massachusetts at 3.7 per 100,000 people. It was highest in Washington, DC at 31.0 per 100,000.
In 2023, Washington, DC, had the highest rate of gun-related homicide at 28.8 per 100,000 people. Alternatively, the rate of gun-related suicide was highest in Wyoming, with a rate of 19.1 per 100,000.
Rate of gun deaths by state in 2023
Other state data can be found on the original site. Click on the resource link below to be taken to the source of this data. Source: Search Results | CDC
Last time I looked, most homicide victims knew their assailant. And yet, most people who carry do so out of fear of stranger danger.
A stranger that would maim or kill you is more likely to be wielding a steering wheel than a firearm. And your gun won’t prevent you from getting injured or killed in a traffic accident.
I interpret the second amendment to allow a constitutional right for well regulated militias to own and carry firearms. Militias at the time were the equivalent of the present day state national guard. I am really uncomfortable with open carry and profligate issuance of concealed carry licenses because it puts me at the mercy of the least stable, least reasonable, least confident individual instead of vice versa. That said I am surprised that the death rate due to firearms didn’t go up too much in these open carry states.
Regarding gun suicides, it would be interesting to be able to compare the overall suicide rate in locations where guns are really not available easily to those where they are available. If someone really is intent on killing themselves, a gun isn’t necessary. However a firearm might be a quick means for those in a sudden despondent downturn and if not available then the victim could recover enough from the despondency to not consider suicide in the future.
Here is a good study on firearm deaths by stranger vs known person. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4167105/
One of my main concerns is that the new administration will move to restrict studies and/or the collection of data. I can understand having different opinions on firearms but I don’t understand not wanting to know facts.
I own firearms that are locked and then put inside a safe. I go to two ranges regularly. I have applied for a concealed carry permit but I don’t plan to use it except perhaps when camping.
@Pre,
Yes, the 2nd Amendment explicitly links the right to bear arms to a well regulated militia. A single citizen is not a militia, Scalia notwithstanding.
I’ve never owned a firearm, although I fired a few in my time. I just never saw the point or the attraction. My mom had a spud gun for several years, and launching potatoes with the aid of hairspray was enough projectile jollies for me.
From your link: “Our findings challenge the argument that gun ownership deters violent crime, in particular, homicides.”
Color me unsurprised.
If ammosexual amateurs are allowed to carry, it should be conspicuous carry, so I can be allowed to exercise my right to social distancing. Ideally, all firearms in civilian hands should be painted the same color orange as hunting vests, so I can spot them easily. Or else bright pink. Wouldn’t impair their operation in the slightest.
Yes most second amendment proponents seem to feel that ” A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,” was some type of cut and paste word processing error which was accidentally dropped into the second amendment. And I have no problem with well regulated and well trained people carrying firearms.
PreCambian:
So you know the difference between a firearm and a gun? You use the former term more so than the latter.
Firearms use a combustion reaction to propel a projectile while guns can use other means to launch the projectile like compressed air or spring.