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Number of gun-related deaths per year -

The most recent data available from the CDC is from 2020. In that year, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in America.

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Number of gun-related deaths per year (what's included) -

This number includes gun murders and those who’ve taken their own lives with a gun.

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Number of gun-related deaths per year (what's included) -

The figure also takes into account unintentional deaths, deaths where law enforcement was involved, and those who died in undetermined circumstances.

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Exclusions -

The 45,222 figure excludes deaths in which gunshot injuries were not the main cause of death (though they may have contributed to deaths). This is because the CDC fatality numbers are based on the single cause of death recorded in the official death certificates.

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Taking their own lives -

The majority of gun deaths in the US are suicides. In 2020, 24,292 people took their own lives with a gun. This represents 54% of all gun-related deaths in the country.

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Murders -

When it comes to murders, the number was 19,384, which accounts for 43% of gun-related deaths in the US in 2020.

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Other deaths -

When it comes to the other three categories, there were 535 unintentional deaths, 611 gun-related deaths where law enforcement was involved, and 400 people died in undetermined circumstances.

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How many murders involved a gun? -

Quite a lot. In 2020, 79% of murders involved a firearm. That's 19,384 out of 24,576, which is nearly eight in 10.

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Record -

The 2020 number is the highest percentage since 1968, which is as far back as the CDC online records go.

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How many suicides involved a gun? -

In 2020, nearly half of all suicides (53%) involved a gun. That's 24,292 out of 45,979.

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Suicide number remained stable -

Unlike the murders data, this percentage remained stable throughout the last few years.

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How the number of gun deaths have changed over the years -

The numbers have been increasing over the years. The 2020 figure was 14% higher when compared to the previous year.

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How the number of gun deaths have changed over the years -

The figure is 25% higher than the one five years earlier, and it also indicated a whopping 43% increase from the previous decade.

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Gun murder increase -

In 2020, there were a record 19,384 gun murders. This number exceeded the previous peak of 18,253, which dates back to 1993.

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Gun murder increase -

This represents a 34% increase from 2019 and a 49% increase over five years. The 2020 figure indicates a 75% increase in a decade.

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Gun suicide increase -

Considering the 2020 figure, the number of gun suicides went up 10% over five years and 25% over 10 years.

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Gun suicide increase -

Other than an exceptional number in 2018, when 24,432 people took their lives, 2020 had the most gun suicides when compared to any other year (24,292).

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Rate change over the years -

The numbers do not account for the growing population. Analyzing the data on a per capita basis, there were 13.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020.

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Rate change over the years -

The rate is the highest ever since the 1990s, but in 1974 the US had a peak of 16.3 gun deaths per 100,000 people, which was considerably higher than the 2020 figure.

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Gun murder rate is below its peak -

In 2020, there were 6.2 gun murders per 100,000 people, whereas in 1974 the rate was 7.2.

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Gun suicide rate is below its peak -

In 2020, there were 7.0 gun suicides per 100,000 people, whereas in 1977 the rate was 7.7. One caveat should be noted though: the CDC numbers between 1968 and 1978 also contained deaths caused by explosives, in addition to firearms.

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The states with higher rates of gun deaths -

In 2020, the states with the highest rates of gun-related deaths overall (including all categories) were Mississippi (28.6 per 100,000 people), Louisiana (26.3), Wyoming (25.9), Missouri (23.9), and Alabama (23.6).

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The states with the lower rates of gun deaths -

The states with the lowest number of gun-related deaths in 2020 were New York (5.3), Rhode Island (5.1), New Jersey (5.0), Massachusetts (3.7), and Hawaii (3.4).

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US gun death rate is high when compared to some countries -

A 2018 study looked at 195 countries and territories, and found that in 2016 (the most recent year in the study) the US had a rate of 10.6 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people. This was considerably higher than countries such as France (2.7), Canada (2.1), Australia (1.0), Germany (0.9), and Spain (0.6).

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The US gun death rate is not that high when compared to some countries -

But the US had much lower gun death rates when compared to countries such as El Salvador (39.2 per 100,000 people), Venezuela (38.7), Guatemala (32.3), Colombia (25.9), and Honduras (22.5).

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Mass shooting death rates -

The definition of the term “mass shooting” is not universal. The FBI, for instance, classifies its data as “active shooter incidents,” which is defined as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” According to this definition, 38 people died in 2020 (excluding the shooter).

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Mass shooting death rates -

The Gun Violence Archive uses another definition, which takes into account incidents where four or more people are shot (even when there are not fatal victims). According to this definition, 513 people died in 2020 (also excluding the shooter).

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Change in the number of mass shootings -

Without a clear definition it is harder to analyze data. Still, using the FBI's “active shooter incidents” definition, there has been an increase between 2000 (three incidents) and 2020 (40 incidents).

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Types of firearms most commonly used -

According to FBI data, handguns accounted for 59% of the 13,620 murders and non-negligent manslaughters in 2020.

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Types of firearms most commonly used -

Rifles accounted for 3%, shotguns were used in 1% of murders, and the remainder were classified as “type not stated.”

Sources: (Pew Research Center) (CDC) (FBI 1 and 2) (IHME) (RAND Corporation) (Gun Violence Archive) 

See also: Celebrities who are members of the National Rifle Association

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