The persistent problem of gun violence in the United States continues to persist: the number of gun related deaths has remained high for many years, and the mortality rate is more than five times that of drowning!
On September 14th, China Daily reported that a well-known Indian news magazine, Outlook, reported in a recent article that in 2022, the death toll from gun violence in the United States reached 48117. The staggering number of gun related deaths highlights the persistent crisis caused by gun violence in the United States. In the United States, gun related mortality rates are even more than five times higher than drowning mortality rates.
Screenshots of articles on the website of Indian magazine Outlook
The article points out that gun violence is becoming a growing concern in the United States. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, 48117 people died in gun related incidents in 2022, equivalent to an average of one death every 11 minutes.
Meanwhile, despite a slight decrease in gun related homicide rates in the United States in 2022 compared to before, the death toll still reached 19592. This number is the second highest since 1995, highlighting the persistent problem of gun violence in the United States for decades.
The article also states that gun related suicide has been less mentioned in this crisis, but the surge in the number of gun related suicides is equally unsettling. Since 2006, gun related suicide in the United States has been on the rise. Data shows that the gun related suicide rate in the United States reached a historic high in 2022, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from the record set in 2021. In 2023, 26993 Americans have died from gun related suicide.
The article states that another concern in the crisis brought about by gun violence is its impact on children and adolescents. Firearms have become the main cause of death for the 1-19 age group in the United States for the fifth consecutive year, and the gun related mortality rate in this age group is still close to the highest historical level in 2022. Moreover, in the past decade, the gun related mortality rate among children and adolescents in the United States has increased by a staggering 87%.
The Outlook magazine website mentioned in another review article that on average, 12 children in the United States die from gun violence every day, and another 32 children are injured by gunfire. Surprisingly, one out of every 10 gun related deaths involves individuals aged 19 and below.
Screenshots of articles on the website of Indian magazine Outlook
In addition, since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, over 338000 students in the United States have experienced gun violence in schools. In 2022, there were 46 campus shooting incidents in the United States, the highest since the Columbine incident. This year, 34 students and adults in the United States were killed in campus shootings, and over 43000 children were affected by campus shootings.
The article argues that these heartbreaking data indicate that the United States must comprehensively address the issue of gun violence and urgently develop policies based on factual evidence.
Responsibility
