Guns & Public Health
With gun violence leading to the deaths of thousands of people every year in the U.S., more and more people have suggested a public health approach to the issue of gun violence. Let’s explore the American relationship with guns and gun violence and how it relates to public health.
Guns and America
Firearm possession
310 million
Estimated total number of guns (legal and illegal) held by civilians in the U.S. (1)
Households with firearms, by year (1)
1973: 49.1%
1974: 47.9%
1976: 49.7%
1977: 54%
1980: 50.8%
1982: 48.9%
1984: 48.5%
1985: 48%
1987: 48.6%
1988: 43.4%
1989: 48.9%
1990: 45.8%
1991: 43.7%
1993: 45.5%
1994: 44%
1996: 43.4%
1998: 36.7%
2000: 34.3%
2002: 36.4%
2004: 37.3%
2006: 34.5%
2008: 36%
2010: 32.3%
2012: 34.4%
Firearm deaths
33,636
U.S. firearm deaths, 2013 (1)
Gun deaths per 100,000 people, by year (1)
2011: 10.30
2010: 10.26
2009: 10.22
2008: 10.39
2007: 10.37
2006: 10.35
2005: 10.39
2004: 10.10
2003: 10.39
2002: 10.51
2001: 10.38
2000: 10.19
1999: 10.35
Gun death rates (deaths per 100,000 people), by state (2)
Louisiana: 18.91
Mississippi: 17.80
Alaska: 17.41
Wyoming: 16.92
Montana: 16.74
Oklahoma: 16.60
Alabama: 16.34
Arkansas: 15.72
South Carolina: 15.09
West Virginia: 14.99
Arizona: 14.91
Tennessee: 14.81
New Mexico: 14.72
Missouri: 14.21
Kentucky: 14.13
Nevada: 13.82
Georgia: 12.56
Florida: 12.46
Vermont: 12.45
Idaho: 12.12
North Carolina: 11.96
Michigan: 11.70
Kansas: 11.46
Pennsylvania: 11.28
Colorado: 11.20
Utah: 10.94
Oregon: 10.86
Virginia: 10.71
Ohio: 10.63
Maine: 10.24
Texas: 10.14
Indiana: 9.79
Maryland: 9.28
Washington: 9.15
North Dakota: 8.91
Nebraska: 8.74
Illinois: 8.66
South Dakota: 8.62
Delaware: 8.48
California: 7.97
Wisconsin: 7.79
Minnesota: 7.41
Iowa: 7.18
New Hampshire: 6.98
Connecticut: 5.85
New Jersey: 5.46
New York: 5.11
Massachusetts: 3.84
Hawaii: 3.56
Rhode Island: 3.14
The Public Health Approach
While conditions like heart disease and cancer kill more Americans every year than gun-related violence, firearms rival poisonings and car accidents.
Deaths by type (3)
Poisoning: 48,545
Motor vehicle: 33,804
Firearm: 33,636
A comprehensive public health-focused approach to other issues has helped reduce related injuries and deaths.
Infectious disease
Tuberculosis cases per 100,000 people, by year (3)
1953: 52.6
1958: 36.3
1963: 28.6
1968: 21.2
1973: 14.6
1978: 12.8
1983: 10.2
1988: 9.2
1993: 9.7
1998: 6.6
2003: 5.1
2008: 4.2
2013: 3.0
Car accidents
Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people, by year (4)
1975: 20.62
1976: 20.88
1977: 21.74
1978: 22.61
1979: 22.70
1980: 22.49
1981: 21.49
1982: 18.97
1983: 18.22
1984: 18.77
1985: 18.42
1986: 19.19
1987: 19.15
1988: 19.26
1989: 18.47
1990: 17.88
1991: 16.46
1992: 15.39
1993: 15.58
1994: 15.64
1995: 15.91
1996: 15.86
1997: 15.69
1998: 15.36
1999: 15.30
2000: 14.86
2001: 14.81
2002: 14.95
2003: 14.78
2004: 14.63
2005: 14.72
2006: 14.31
2007: 13.70
2008: 12.31
2009: 11.05
2010: 10.67
2011: 10.42
2012: 10.69
Tobacco consumption
Adult tobacco consumption per capita, by year (3)
2000: 2,148
2001: 2,075
2002: 2,006
2003: 1,916
2004: 1,888
2005: 1,807
2006: 1,787
2007: 1,690
2008: 1,615
2009: 1,472
2010: 1,400
2011: 1,374
The Public Health Solution
Whether gun violence should be approached like other public health issues is a contentious notion, but several possible initiatives have been proposed that would attack gun violence from a public-health perspective. (5)
“Smart guns” which could only be fired by the owners
Mandated child safety locks
PR campaigns encouraging safe gun practices
Sources:
1. http://www.gunpolicy.org
2. http://www.vpc.org
3. http://www.cdc.gov
4. http://en.wikipedia.org
5. http://www.newrepublic.com