Gun Violence

There are just over a quarter of a million deaths due to gun violence worldwide annually. Over 17 percent of these deaths occur in Brazil, 14.8 percent are in the United States, 6 percent are in Mexico and approximately 5 percent are in Colombia. This data includes both suicides and homicides. In the United States, the majority of deaths related to gun violence are suicides rather than homicides.¹ In 2017, there were 38,658 gun-related deaths in the United States, 3,222 of which were teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17.² Globally, there were an estimated 7.5 violent deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, which included deaths in direct conflict zones, intentional homicides, unintentional homicides and deaths occurring in law enforcement.³ Gang violence accounts for 13 percent of all homicides in the United States each year. The United States National Gang Center estimates that there are currently 30,700 gangs across the nation, a 15 percent increase over the last two decades. Approximately two thirds of these gangs are in major cities, or suburbs of major cities.⁴