Mass shootings have become a distressing trend in the United States, with the nation consistently topping global charts in this alarming category. The Gun Violence Archive has reported over 470 mass shootings in the US so far this year alone, defining mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are injured or killed.
In the past three years, the US has witnessed more than 600 mass shootings annually, averaging nearly two such incidents every day. While high-profile events like the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, which claimed over 50 lives and injured 500 are on one side, a majority of mass shootings result in fewer than 10 fatalities.
What makes this concerning is that mass shootings are just one facet of the broader gun violence problem in the US. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 48,830 individuals died from gun-related injuries in 2021, marking an 8 percent increase from the previous year, which itself was a record-breaking year for firearm deaths.
On the other end, is the gun suicides. Tragically, data shows that more than 50 people are killed by firearms every day in the US, a significantly higher proportion of homicides compared to countries like Canada, Australia, England, and even Wales.
Firearms in Circulation in the US
The rising number of firearms in circulation in the US is another cause for concern. According to the Small Arms Survey, there were an estimated 390 million guns in the US in 2018, equating to 120.5 firearms per 100 residents.
However, recent data suggests that gun ownership has only grown in recent years, with 7.5 million US adults becoming new gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021. This increase has exposed 11 million people to firearms in their homes, including 5 million children.
A 2023 survey from KFF (formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation) reveals that nearly one in five US adults has had a family member killed by a gun, whether through homicides or suicides. An equal proportion of adults has been personally threatened with a gun, and one in six adults has witnessed a shooting-related injury.
Well, surely, the gun violence in the US is undeniably affecting millions of lives. Addressing this crisis requires comprehensive measures that curb not only mass shootings but also the broader problem of gun violence in all its forms.