By the Numbers: America's Gun Problem
In the wake of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, below are some important statistics. Senseless acts of gun violence are tearing apart families and communities and there are simple, commonsense solutions that the majority of Americans agree on. Republican Leadership in Congress owes it to the families of past victims and all Americans to openly debate and vote on gun violence legislation.
- The U.S. firearm homicide rate is 20 times higher than the combined rates of 22 developed countries.1
- The United States makes up 4.4% of the world's population, but holds almost half of all civilian-owned guns worldwide.2
- Over 58,000 Americans died fighting in the 20-year Vietnam War. The same amount of people died in gun homicides in less than 5 years.3
- Already in 2018, there have been 30 mass shootings and more than 1,800 gun deaths.4
- In the past 45 days there have been 18 school shootings.5
- Since the Columbine shooting in 1999, more than 150,000 students attending 170 schools have experienced campus shootings.6
- More people were killed or wounded during a mass shooting in 2016 than in any other year. Mass shootings are becoming deadlier.7
- Firearm homicide is the second-leading cause of death (after motor vehicle crashes) for young people ages 1-19 in the U.S.8 For men 15 to 29, gun homicides are the third-leading cause of death, after accidents and suicides.9
- The U.S. has the highest number of privately owned guns in the world with 88.8 guns per every 100 people. The second-ranked country is Yemen, a war torn state, where there are 54.8 guns per 100 people.10
- A gun in the home is 22 times more likely to be used to kill or injure in a domestic homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting than to be used in self-defense.11
- In the 114th Congress (2015-2016), more than 250 bills were introduced to limit or prevent gun violence. Speaker Ryan refused a Committee hearing or floor vote on each of these bills. There was no discussion, no debate, and no accountability.12
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