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US gun deaths soared in 2020 amid pandemic: CDC
The number of gun deaths in the United States soared in 2020 against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said
(AFP/GEORGE FREY)
Tue, May 10, 2022,
The number of gun deaths in the United States underwent an "historic" increase in 2020, possibly due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and poverty, according to a report by health authorities published Tuesday.
The US racked up 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, up nearly 35 percent as compared to 2019, and 24,245 gun suicides (up 1.5 percent), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its report.
The CDC deemed both the murders and suicides by firearm "persistent and significant US public health concerns."
The firearm homicide rate stood at 6.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, the highest for more than 25 years.
The proportion of murders involving guns increased most notably among men, teenagers and young adults, and in African-American and Native American communities, the CDC said.
No region of the United States has been spared, although homicides have risen the most in counties with high poverty rates and large ethnic minority populations.
People also die by suicide more often in poor, non-metropolitan and rural areas.
"One possible explanation is stressors associated with the Covid-19 pandemic that could have played a role" in the rise, said Tom Simons, an expert in violence prevention at the CDC.
"These include changes and disruptions to services and education, social isolation, economic stressors such as job loss, housing instability, and difficulty covering daily expenses," he told reporters.
The report also notes that the risk of violence is linked to "longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism" in the country.
The report cites tensions between the public and law enforcement, noting the wave of protests in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, spikes in weapons purchases, and a rise in the number of cases of domestic violence.
"Firearm deaths are preventable, not inevitable," said Debra Houry, director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, recommending "a comprehensive approach focused on reducing inequity."
She cited the "promising" work of street outreach workers in reducing tensions in high-crime neighborhoods, as well as mediation programs set up in some hospitals to help young people wounded in the streets "break the cycle of violence," and the work of suicide prevention programs.
Houry also noted the need to address underlying economic factors by offering housing aid or tax credits, and ensuring "livable wages" to lift disadvantaged families out of poverty.
Another avenue being explored is the role of improving the environment, with the creation of green spaces or the cleaning-up of waste lots.
"Revitalized vacant lots in communities have been associated with reduced firearm assault, with particular benefits in areas with the highest poverty,” she said.
cyj/jh/sst
Homicide, suicide deaths from guns jumped 35% in 2020, CDC reports
May 10 (UPI) -- The number of homicides involving guns in the United States rose by more than one-third in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2019, data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.
From year to year, a 35% increase in the number of killings involving guns in the United States was reported, the agency said.
As a result, in 2020, the country had its highest gun-related homicide rate in more than 25 years, the CDC said.
Firearms were involved in 79% of all homicides nationally in 2020, up from about 75% in 2019, the agency said in the "Vital Signs" report published Tuesday.
In addition, 53% of all suicide deaths across the country during the first year of the pandemic involved guns, up from just over half in 2019, according to the CDC.
"The tragic and historic increase in firearm homicide and the persistently high rates of firearm suicide underscore the urgent need for action to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a press release.
"By addressing factors contributing to homicide and suicide and providing support to communities, we can help stop violence now and in the future," she said.
Minorities, particularly Black Americans and American Indian and Alaska Natives, saw the bulk of the national rise in homicides in 2020, according to a study published Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine.
This was true for homicides involving firearms, as well, the new CDC data revealed.
Among Black Americans, gun-involved killings rose 38% from 2019 to 2020, compared to less than 30% for other racial and ethnic groups, the agency said.
States in the mid-Atlantic region -- Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. -- saw the biggest spike in gun-involved homicides, at 51%, it said.
Gun-involved suicides nationally rose by just under 2% between 2019 and 2020, but increased 15% in people ages 10 to 24 years and 6% in those ages 25 to 44 years, according to the CDC.
Although the gun-involved homicide rate spiked most prominently in large metropolitan areas, the firearm suicide rate actually rose more, by about 3%, in more rural regions nationally, the agency said.
"Firearm deaths are preventable -- not inevitable," Dr. Debra Houry, acting principal deputy director and director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a press release.
"Everyone has a role to play in prevention," she said.
Tue, May 10, 2022,
The number of gun deaths in the United States underwent an "historic" increase in 2020, possibly due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and poverty, according to a report by health authorities published Tuesday.
The US racked up 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, up nearly 35 percent as compared to 2019, and 24,245 gun suicides (up 1.5 percent), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its report.
The CDC deemed both the murders and suicides by firearm "persistent and significant US public health concerns."
The firearm homicide rate stood at 6.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, the highest for more than 25 years.
The proportion of murders involving guns increased most notably among men, teenagers and young adults, and in African-American and Native American communities, the CDC said.
No region of the United States has been spared, although homicides have risen the most in counties with high poverty rates and large ethnic minority populations.
People also die by suicide more often in poor, non-metropolitan and rural areas.
"One possible explanation is stressors associated with the Covid-19 pandemic that could have played a role" in the rise, said Tom Simons, an expert in violence prevention at the CDC.
"These include changes and disruptions to services and education, social isolation, economic stressors such as job loss, housing instability, and difficulty covering daily expenses," he told reporters.
The report also notes that the risk of violence is linked to "longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism" in the country.
The report cites tensions between the public and law enforcement, noting the wave of protests in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, spikes in weapons purchases, and a rise in the number of cases of domestic violence.
"Firearm deaths are preventable, not inevitable," said Debra Houry, director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, recommending "a comprehensive approach focused on reducing inequity."
She cited the "promising" work of street outreach workers in reducing tensions in high-crime neighborhoods, as well as mediation programs set up in some hospitals to help young people wounded in the streets "break the cycle of violence," and the work of suicide prevention programs.
Houry also noted the need to address underlying economic factors by offering housing aid or tax credits, and ensuring "livable wages" to lift disadvantaged families out of poverty.
Another avenue being explored is the role of improving the environment, with the creation of green spaces or the cleaning-up of waste lots.
"Revitalized vacant lots in communities have been associated with reduced firearm assault, with particular benefits in areas with the highest poverty,” she said.
cyj/jh/sst
May 10 (UPI) -- The number of homicides involving guns in the United States rose by more than one-third in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2019, data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.
From year to year, a 35% increase in the number of killings involving guns in the United States was reported, the agency said.
As a result, in 2020, the country had its highest gun-related homicide rate in more than 25 years, the CDC said.
Firearms were involved in 79% of all homicides nationally in 2020, up from about 75% in 2019, the agency said in the "Vital Signs" report published Tuesday.
In addition, 53% of all suicide deaths across the country during the first year of the pandemic involved guns, up from just over half in 2019, according to the CDC.
"The tragic and historic increase in firearm homicide and the persistently high rates of firearm suicide underscore the urgent need for action to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a press release.
"By addressing factors contributing to homicide and suicide and providing support to communities, we can help stop violence now and in the future," she said.
Minorities, particularly Black Americans and American Indian and Alaska Natives, saw the bulk of the national rise in homicides in 2020, according to a study published Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine.
This was true for homicides involving firearms, as well, the new CDC data revealed.
Among Black Americans, gun-involved killings rose 38% from 2019 to 2020, compared to less than 30% for other racial and ethnic groups, the agency said.
States in the mid-Atlantic region -- Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. -- saw the biggest spike in gun-involved homicides, at 51%, it said.
Gun-involved suicides nationally rose by just under 2% between 2019 and 2020, but increased 15% in people ages 10 to 24 years and 6% in those ages 25 to 44 years, according to the CDC.
Although the gun-involved homicide rate spiked most prominently in large metropolitan areas, the firearm suicide rate actually rose more, by about 3%, in more rural regions nationally, the agency said.
"Firearm deaths are preventable -- not inevitable," Dr. Debra Houry, acting principal deputy director and director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a press release.
"Everyone has a role to play in prevention," she said.
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