What can be said about Gun Violence?
What is it?
(Disclaimer: This page does not reflect the views of Timothys family and friends. This page was made to celebrate his life and raise awareness. )
Gun related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. It includes homicide, violent crime, suicide as well as unintentional death or injury. It is the leading cause in premature death in the U.S and elsewhere scattered across the map.
Any key facts to know?
Nearly every American will know at least one victim of gun violence in their lifetime. Over 1 million Americans have been shot in the past decade, and gun violence rates are rising across the country. In 2021, gun deaths reached their highest level in at least 40 years, with 48,830 deaths that year alone.
America has the weakest gun laws and the most guns—393 million—of any comparable nation.
The US accounts for just 4% of the world’s population but 35% of global firearm suicides.
Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than people in other high-income countries.
3 million children are directly exposed to gun violence each year, resulting in death, injury, and lasting trauma
Anyone can be affected by firearm violence but in certain situations gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of colour, women and other marginalized groups in society.
In 2020, handguns were involved in 59% of the 13,620 U.S. gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters for which data is available, according to the FBI. Rifles – the category that includes guns referenced as "assault weapons." – were involved in 3% of firearm murders. Shotguns were involved in 1%. The remainder of gun homicides and non-negligent manslaughters (36%) involved other kinds of firearms or those classified as “type not stated.”
Wide access to firearms and loose regulations lead to more than 39,000 men, women and children being killed with guns each year in the USA
Public mass shootings account for less than 1% of gun deaths in the USA.
However, public mass shootings have a profound emotional and psychological effect on survivors, families and communities. They have created an environment in which people feel unsafe in public places, such as churches, schools, concert venues and cinemas which impacts their human rights to religion, education and leisure.
People who survive a firearm-related injury may experience long-term consequences. These include problems with memory, thinking, emotions, and physical disability from injury to the brain; paralysis from injury to the spinal cord; and chronic mental health problems from conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is important to store all firearms safely when not in use. Putting a firearm out of sight or out of reach is not safe storage and not enough to prevent use by children or unauthorized adults.
For more in-depth info PLEASE click on the links below.
Citations
- https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence
- https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-violence-statistics/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
- https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/gun-violence/#whatisgunviolence?
- https://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy
- https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/fastfact.html