Gun Deaths in America Compared to the Rest of the World

Worldwide Firearm Homicide Rates in 2014

1. Global Perspective

· Fact 1: The U.S. has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates among developed countries (Aizenman, 2023).

· Fact 2: In 2016, the U.S. gun death rate was 10.6 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than countries like Canada (2.1 per 100,000) and Australia (1.0 per 100,000) (BBC, 2023).

Observations

One of the most striking revelations from the NPR and BBC articles is the pronounced difference in firearm-related death rates between the U.S. and other developed nations. Many countries have their share of challenges with violence and crime, but the U.S. is particularly shown to have a high death rate linked to firearms. This high rate of firearm-related deaths in the U.S. reflects some of the social issues that Americans face. The U.S.'s has a unique relationship with guns, rooted in its history and constitution. The Second Amendment protects a person’s right to bear arms. Plus, there is a powerful gun lobby in the US, which promotes a culture that glorifies gun ownership. These may be some of the reasons that the US has such a higher death rate from gun violence than many other parts of the world.

2. United States

· Fact 1: In 2021, 48,830 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., including gun murders, suicides, and other types of gun-related deaths (Gramlich, 2023).

· Fact 2: “One factor that raises the risk of domestic homicide, studies have found, is the presence of a gun in the home, and gun sales spiked during the pandemic” (Glaun, 2021).

Observations

The Pew Research article provides a more focused look at gun deaths in the U.S., and shows that while gun-related deaths have increased, the rate of gun deaths, when adjusted for population growth, remains below levels from earlier decades. This is an interesting finding in and of itself, as it suggests that a kneejerk reaction about gun violence trends in the US might not be justified after more than a cursory glance. However, the rate of gun violence should still be seen as rather alarming. That is the point of the PBS article, which emphasizes the rise in domestic violence shooting deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic (Glaun, 2021). When guns are in the home, that home is more likely to see gun violence—and more people bought guns during the pandemic lockdown of 2020 than in years past—which could spell trouble ahead. Moreover, the spatial patterns indicate that while there are variations in firearm-related homicides across states, certain states like Texas, Maryland, Missouri, and Utah saw significant spikes in domestic-violence-related shooting deaths.

3. Missouri

· Fact 1: Missouri's lax gun laws have been pointed out as a potential factor contributing to the rise in domestic violence-related shootings (Washburn, 2022).

· Fact 2: The state lacks a law preventing misdemeanor abusers from purchasing firearms.

Observations

The article from Kansas City highlights the challenges Missouri faces with gun violence. The state's weak gun laws, combined with other socio-economic factors, might be contributing to the uneven distribution of firearm-related fatalities across the state. The spatial patterns suggest that while some areas in Missouri might have higher rates of firearm-related deaths, it's not uniformly distributed across the state. Based on the firearm violence heat map, Missouri is one of the worst states in the US when it comes to where gun violence is most prevalent. This makes it one of the worst places in the world with respect to gun violence.