Gun Deaths in America

Gun Violence effects everyone. In the United States, guns are one of the leading causes of preventable death. The majority of these deaths are from legally purchased guns. We need sensible gun legislation now, to curb this preventable tragedy.

The high rate of death due to guns is a uniquely American phenomenon amongst developed countries.¹ The United States stands alone amongst developed nations as the only one without common-sense legislation on gun ownership.

mass shootings

Mass shootings are a drastic and deadly solution to a percieved grievance. Whatever the underlying causes that triggers this extreme behaviour, it is enabled and made deadlier by easy access to high powered, high capacity, automatic and semi-automatic weapons. As you can see in the timeline below, mass shootings have become an all too regular occurrence over the last 35 years.²

Mass shootings are increasing in both frequency and body count. From 1982 to 2000, there were a total of 32 shootings, leaving 245 dead. From 2001 to 2018, there were 66 shootings and 574 people killed:

It's easy to consider these isolated incidents, something that happens in other parts of the country. Something that could never happen to you. However, a mass shooting may hit closer to home than you realize. Enter some information about yourself, and see how gun violence affects you:

The nearest mass shooting to your location happened in Washington, DC on September 16th, 2013. Aaron Alexis, 34, a military veteran and contractor from Texas, opened fire in the Navy installation, killing 12 people and wounding 8 before being shot dead by police.

everyday gun violence

But it's not just mass shootings. Easy access to firearms means gun violence has become an every day problem. It affects every city. There is about one death due to a gunshot every hour in the United States:

We need sensible gun laws now, not tomorrow. We need to ban weapons of war from our streets. AR-15s and other Assault Rifles are implements of war, meant to kill as many people as quickly and easily as possible. It's a gross distortion of the second amendment to let these guns exist in our society.

To find out what you can do, visit Sensible Gun Laws Now, where you can learn about upcoming legislation, and find information you can use when contacting your representative. You can also sign up below for our newsletter. It's up to all of us. Sensible Gun Laws are not only possible, they are necessary for a safe future for America.

1. The Gaurdian: Gun homicides and gun ownership listed by country.

2. US Mass Shootings, 1982-2018: Data From Mother Jones’ Investigation. Additional metadata and analysis from Mother Jones.

3. Calculated from CDC Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File, 1979-1998 and 1999-2016.