Gun Violence Statistics: Research

Title: Hidden Homicide Increases in the USA, 1999-2005 [abstract]

Publication date: June 2008

What does it say? From 1999-2005, the firearm homicide rate for men ages 25-44 increased by a third in counties of 1 million or more population in urban and sub-urban metropolitan counties in the United States.  The rate increased 31 percent for African-American men and 12 percent for white men.   The overall national homicide trend has appeared stable during this time period.  This study uncovers troubling trends for the demographic subgroup of men ages 25-44 in large cities and suburbs. 

How can I use it?  This article can be used to educate elected officials, reporters, and community leaders that easy access to guns by dangerous people remains a high priority problem, despite relatively low national homicide rates.

Citation: Guoquing Hu, Daniel Webster, and Susan P. Baker, "Hidden Homicide Increases in the USA, 1999-2005," Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 2008.


Title: Surveillance for Violent Deaths --- National Violent Death Reporting System, 16 States, 2005

Publication date: April 11, 2008

What does it say?  Most unintentional firearm deaths occur in a house, during the month of November, and while someone is playing with the gun.  Twenty percent of deaths occur when the trigger is accidentally pulled, while 11 percent occur because the gun was dropped.  

How can I use it?  While the data are preliminary, the results can be used to build the case for design changes to make guns safer.  The study shows the potential of the National Violent Death Reporting System to provide detailed information to policymakers on the context in which violent deaths, including gun deaths, occur.  Click here to learn more about the NVDRS.

Citation: Centers for Disease Control, "Surveillance for Violent Deaths: National Violent Death Reporting System, 16 States, 2005" MMWR Surveillance Summaries 57: 3 (April 11, 2008)


Title: United States Firearm Deaths by Age Group and Intent, 2005 
Title: Firearm Deaths and Death Rates Per 100,000 Population, by State, 2005  

Publication date: February 2008

What does it say?  

First table: Firearm deaths increased 4 percent from 29,569 in 2004, to 30,694 in 2005 (the latest year for which data are available).  On an average day in the United States in 2005, 84 people a day were killed by firearms.  For ages 0-19, firearm homicides were up 9 percent from 1,804 in 2004, to 1,972 deaths per year in 2005.

Second table: The states with the highest firearm death rates in 2005 were Louisiana, Alaska, Montana, Tennesse, and Alabama.   In 2004, the top five states were Louisiana, Alaska, Nevada, Mississippi, and Arizona.

Data in these tables comes from death certificates abstracted by the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Vital Statistics System.  Information can be extracted for a number of variables including year, age group, intent, mechanism, and state using the WISQARS online query system. 

How can I use it?  The number of gun deaths in the United States remains unacceptably high, and the up tick in the rate of gun homicides among youth is cause for alarm.  These tables can be used to document these facts to key constituencies.

Citation: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, United States Firearm Deaths by Age Group and Intent, 2005 with data from National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (2005, most recent year available), www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/, 2-29-2008.


Title: United States Non-fatal Firearm Injuries by Age Group and Intent, 2006

Publication date: February 2008

What does it say? There are more than twice as many non-fatal firearm injuries every year as firearm deaths.  Non-fatal firearm injuries increased 2 percent from 2005 to 2006, to 71,417, or on average 196 injuries per day.  2006 is the latest year for which data are available for non-fatal firearm injuries.

This data is collected by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which creates estimates of non-fatal injuries treated in emergency rooms based on a national sample of hospital emergency departments.  The data is available via CDC’s WISQARS online query tool.

How can I use it?  Non-fatal firearm injuries inflict a huge burden on society. The facts on non-fatal injury must be presented to legislators and the media so that the full burden of lax U.S. gun laws is visible in the public debate.  

Citation: Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, United States Non-fatal Firearm Injuries by Age Group and Intent, 2006, with data from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (2006, most recent year available), www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/, 2-29-2008.


Title: Gun Death and Injury Fact Sheet 

Publication date: February 2008

What does it say?   This one-page summary and fact sheet shows the disturbing raw number of people who become direct victims of gun violence and breaks down the numbers according to victim ages and incident circumstances. 

Data in these tables come from the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

How can I use it?  When you write your elected officials about the gun issue, include this fact sheet to document the extent of the problem in the United States.  It can also be included in lobbying packets, outreach packets, and at tabling events. 

Citation:  Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Gun Death and Injury Fact Sheet, based on data from the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (2005 (deaths) and 2006 (injuries), most recent year available), www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/, 2-29-2008. 
 

Title: Violent Crime in America: ‘A Tale of Two Cities’

Publication date: November 2007

What does it say?  Crime is continuing its upward trend in many jurisdictions, while in other communities crime is going back down.  Conducted in August 2007, the study includes statistics, by city, on changes in the number of homicides, robberies, aggravated assaults and aggravated assaults with a firearm from the first half of 2006 to the first half of 2007 (See Appendix A) and describes what programs or policies cities have implemented to reduce violence (See Appendix B). The report also provides detailed coverage of the Police Executive Research Forum's (PERF) second Violent Crime Summit, held on September 26, 2007 in suburban Chicago. More than 100 police chiefs, sheriffs, mayors, U.S. Justice Department officials, and others came together at the Summit to share their experiences in fighting violent crime. 

How can I use it? Check appendices A and B of this report to see how your city is doing in terms of aggravated assaults with firearms and what your police chief is doing about violent crime. 

Citation: Police Executive Research Forum, “Violent Crime in America: ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’” Critical Issues in Policing Series (November 2007)


Title: Crime in the United States, 2006

Publication Date:  September 2007

What does it say? Overall, violent crime remains low by historical standards, based on the number and rate of crimes reported to police, but gun crime is increasing.  From 2005 to 2006, the number of firearm robberies increased nationally (8.5 percent) and in smaller cities and towns (8-16 percent).  Similar increases were found in smaller towns and cities for aggravated assault with a firearm (up to 9 percent). 

Subgroups of the population are experiencing substantial increases in gun crime.  In a separate report based on the same data set and published in a USA Today blog, an independent researcher found that since 2002, gun killings have climbed 13% overall — but 42% among teens and 71% among black teenage males — while non-gun homicides have essentially remained unchanged. 

Preliminary data for the first six months of 2007were released January 7, 2008 and showed a decrease in violent crimes of 1.8 percent in the first six months of 2007. 

How can I use it?  At the national level, use the data in the USA Today blog to document that we need to act now to reverse the alarming upward trend in gun killings among teens. At the state level, you can check the number of gun homicides at Table 20; gun robberies at Table 21, and gun aggravated assaults at Table 22.  State population figures are available at Table 5.  At the local level, find out the population size of your town or city and look at Table 15 to see if gun crimes for towns and cities your size are going up or down. 

Citation: United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation,“Crime in the United States, 2006” Uniform Crime Reports (September 2007)


Title: Medical Costs and Productivity Losses Due to Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence in the United States

Publication date: June 2007

What does it say? This study tallied the annual medical costs and productivity losses of violence to be more than $70 billion.  This figure is consistent with broader estimates of the burden of gun violence alone ($100 billion, including not only medical costs and loss of productivity, but also mental health treatment and rehabilitation, legal and judicial costs).  It is not surprising then that this study recommends placing priority on the prevention of firearm-related homicides and suicide among adolescent and young adult males to alleviate the largest portion of the economic burden (see p. 480). 

How can I use it? This study makes a strong case that violent injury is a major drain on society and that firearm violence amongst young males in particular should be a priority area for program and policy implementation.

Citation: Phaedra S. Corso, James A Mercy, Thomas R. Simon, Eric A. Finkelstein, Ted Miller, “Medical Costs and Productivity Losses Due to Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence in the United States,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 32 (2007): 474-482.