Firearm Death Statistics: CDC Study Shows Number of Firearm Deaths Rising After Years of Decline

Deaths related to firearms According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is on the rise in the United States and is declining for 10 years. In 2015-16, the federal agency reported that there were 27,394 firearm-related homicides and 44,955 firearm-related suicides – the highest levels recorded since 2006-2007.

In 2015-2016, the last available year, homicide was the 16th leading cause of death among US adults and the third for children aged 10 to 19, according to the report. Firearms were used in 74% of registered homicides and 87% of homicides involving youth.

"It is too early to know whether the recent increase in firearm homicide rates represents a short-term fluctuation or the beginning of a longer-term trend," the CDC wrote. in his report published Friday. The mentioned report homicides and suicides committed with a firearm as "a persistent public health problem in the United States".

Violent crime in the United States has increased by 3.8% recently in 2016, with data suggesting a "short-term increase concentrated especially in major cities in metropolitan areas," the report said, citing FBI statistics. Violent crime increased by 6.1% in cities with 250,000 or more inhabitants in 2016, while the increase was only 2.2% in the suburbs and 1.6% in non-urban counties. metropolitans.

The report noted that homicides committed with a firearm have varied considerably from city to city. This rate was lowest in the Providence and Warwick area of ​​Rhode Island, with a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 population and the highest in the New Orleans and Metairie area of ​​Louisiana, with a rate of rate of 16.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. .

Although the increase in the number of homicides committed with a firearm is a recent reversal after a 10-year decline, the increase in the number of firearm suicides in 2015-2016 is continuing according to a trend of 10 years, according to the CDC. the the suicide rate surged after the financial crisis of 2008 and has continued to increase since. From 2006 to 2016, firearms suicides increased by 21%, after decreasing by 7% from 1999 to 2006.

As with firearm homicides, the CDC recorded extremely different suicide rates across the country, ranging from 1.6 to 13.5 per 100,000 population. Metropolitan New York had the lowest rate of gun suicide, while the Oklahoma City region had the highest.