Over 38,000 people killed by guns in US this year
More than 38,000 people have died in the US from the use of firearms during 2019, according to a non-profit organization. The organization, Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which documents gun violence across the country, reported on Thursday that there were 38,730 deaths from firearms, reports Efe news. Of that number 14,970 were victims of homicide, murder or accidental shootings, compared to 14,789 in 2018.
The other 23,760 deaths in 2019 were from suicides, the GVA said.
There was no figure from the organization for the number of firearm deaths by suicide in 2018.
A total of 207 children under the age of 11 lost their lives and 473 were injured by firearms.
In addition, 762 children aged 12 to 17, died and another 2,253 were injured in the past year.
There were 409 mass shootings and 30 mass murders in 2019, which GVA defines as incidents in which four or more people were injured or killed.
Such incidents caused around two per cent of firearm deaths, with other fatalities resulting from domestic disputes, gang violence, robberies and accidents with firearms.
The GVA report found the regions with the most gun-related deaths during the past year were Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.
It is estimated that in the US, a country with around 327.2 million inhabitants, there are between 200 million and 350 million firearms owned citizens.
There are no exact figures because there is no national census, federal documentation or public health studies about these weapons.
