While many horrified Americans reacted to recent high-profile shooting massacres with calls for new gun controls, gun-related homicides have declined recently.
Gun-related homicides went down from 6.6 per 100,000 Americans in 1993, to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2000, to 3.2 per 100,000 in 2011. The downward trend continued without any new federal gun control laws.
Gun suicides far outnumber gun homicides. In 2009, there were 18,735 suicides and 11,493 murders using firearms.
Check out our infographic for more on gun-related killings. See “What Do Others Say?” for more perspective, then add to our discussion below. Are you surprised by today’s fact? Do you think more gun laws would mean fewer homicides?
