Firearm deaths have emerged as the number one leading cause of death by trauma in the United States, overtaking motor vehicle crashes, a new study reveals.
According to a study published Tuesday in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open, US gun deaths claimed 1.44 million years of potential life in 2017, surpassing motor vehicle crashes (1.37 million years). In 2018, the trend persisted.
The basis of the studies was available data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2009 and 2018.
Researchers said that the data indicates that "the resulting access to firearms has equated to magnitudes of death due to firearm suicides in the same individuals demanding access to firearms."
Based on a CNN report, the survey discovered that suicides made up the majority of firearm-related deaths and that such fatalities had been on the rise as a cause of deaths in the US.
Suicides by firearm climbed from less than 19,000 in 2009 to more than 24,000 in 2018. White men accounted for the bulk of suicide-related firearm deaths during the 10-year research, resulting in the loss of 4.95 million years of potential life.
Millions of Years of Potential Life Lost Due to US Gun Deaths
The study indicates that black men accounted for the majority of homicide-related firearm deaths, with 3.2 million years of potential life lost.
Victims of homicides tend to be younger, which means that a Black male who is a casualty of homicide lost 50.5 years on average for each death, whereas a White guy who dies by suicide loses 29.1 years. Black people make up 13.4% of the population in the United States.
Firearm homicides among women climbed by nearly 10% over ten years. Firearm suicides jumped over 31%.
According to a January report by the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety, there is a direct link between looser gun restrictions and rising incidence of gun deaths, such as homicides, suicides, and unintentional killings.
California, with 84.5 out of 100 scores, had the strictest gun prohibitions, with a low rate of 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 residents. The number is well under the national average of 13.6.
Hawaii also boasts the lowest rate of gun deaths in the US, as well as the country's second-best gun control laws.
A Serious Public Health Problem
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has declared gun violence a severe public health problem. Per NPR, she was the first CDC Director to make strong public statements regarding gun violence 23 years ago.
Because of pressure from the National Rifle Association, gun violence research has been denied federal funding for decades.
Dr. Mark Rosenberg, founding director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, says the US is once again investing in a public health strategy to minimize gun violence.
Firearm violence's impact goes beyond victims and their families. The sense of security of an entire community and everyday decisions can be affected by incidents such as mass shootings, firearm homicides, and assaults.
Survivors of firearm-related injury could undergo long-term conditions such as memory, cognitive, and emotional problems. Those who have sustained brain and spinal cord injuries could suffer from physical disability. At the same time, individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder could lead to chronic mental health problems, according to the CDC.
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