Snapshot: How Gun Violence Affects Your World

Manufacturing
Every 8 seconds, a new firearm is made in America. (ATF, "Commerce in Firearms in the US", 2000 Report)

Over a twenty-five year period, from 1972 to 1997, over 59 million handguns were manufactured in the U.S.

The top 5 gun manufacturing states during that time:

1)Connecticut - 25,472,564
2) Massachusetts - 18,360,915
3) New York - 7,119,769
4) California - 6,337,544
5) Florida - 2,334,206

According to a data analysis by the Violence Prevention Center, just 3 states (top 3 listed above) accounted for 75 percent of all the domestic firearms manufactured in America during that 25 year period of time. Also, the VPC notes that states with rigid gun control laws such as Massachusetts, California, and New York, were actually the leading makers of firearms. ((Violence Policy Center, "Firearms Production in America 1972 - 1997, A State by State Breakdown", 2000)


Did You Know?
Every hour in America, four people are killed by firearms. (Centers for Disease Control)

A gun in your home makes it three times more likely that you or someone you care about will be murdered by a family member or intimate partner (Kellerman,New England Journal of Medicine v329, n.15 1993)

Gun violence is the second-leading cause of injury-related fatalities in the US after car accidents. In Alaska, Maryland and Nevada as well as D.C., firearm death rates in 1998 exceeded those for car accidents. (CDC & Natnl. Vital Statistics Report, 1999)

One million Americans have died in firearm homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings since 1962. (Fatal Firearm Injuries in the United States 1962-1994. Violence Surveillance Summary Series, No. 3, 1997; Deaths: Final Data for 1995- 1997, National Vital Statistics Report)


State/Local
Contrary to popular opinion, gun violence isn't endemic only to certain cities or neighborhoods - it can happen anywhere. Take a look at the statistics below:

Homicides in the Bay Area (for 1999)
According to the California Department of Justice (by county)

Of these 263 homicides, approximately 200, or about 76 percent, were due to guns.

In 1998, California ranked highest amongst all fifty states for gun-related homicides (1573) and gun-related suicides (1702) (Centers for Disease Control, 1998 mortality findings)

In 1998, 499 children from ages 0-19 died in CA due to firearms. Nationally during the same year, 3792 children from ages 0-19 were killed in the US due to firearms. (CA Dept. of Health)

As of October 2001, Oakland's homicide* rate for the year was at 71. The year prior there were 69 homicides at that point in the year. (Alameda Times-Star Online, 10/16/01)
*Statistic does not necessarily indicate gun-related homicides

Violence In And Out Of The Classroom

In 1997, In California, there were a total of 594 firearm-related deaths for kids ages 0 - 19. Of these deaths, 106 were suicides, 457 were homicides, 26 were accidents and 5 were ones with unknown intent. (CA Dept. of Health)

In 1998-99, states and territories expelled 3,523 students from bringing a firearm to school, down from 5,724 in 1996-97. (US Dept. of Ed., 2000 Press Release)


Women And Gun Violence

In 1997, homicide was the second leading cause of death amongst young women from 15 to 24. Suicide was the fourth leading cause of death for this same age group. 56 percent of these deaths were caused by firearms. (National Vital Statistics Report, 1999)

In 1998, for every one time a woman used a handgun to kill a stranger in self-defense, 302 women were murdered in handgun homicides (FBI's Supplementary Homicide Report, 1998)

Suicide

The largest category of firearms fatality is suicide, not homicide. In 1997, 54 percent of all gun deaths were suicides, and 42 percent were homicides (National Vital Statistics Report, 1999)

In a household with a gun, a person is almost five times more likely to die by suicide than people living in a gun-free home. (New England Journal of Medicine, v327, n.7, 1992)


The Self-Defense Myth

In 1997, for every time that a civilian used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 43 people lost their lives in handgun homicides. (FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data, 1997)

In 1997 there were 15,690 homicides, of which 8,503 were committed with handguns. Only 193 (2.3 percent) handgun homicides were classified as justifiable homicides. (FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data, 1997)

Visit the get involved area to find out other ways you can help prevent gun violence.