Gun Deaths & InjuriesIn 2007, guns took the lives of 31,224 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour.1
69,863 Americans were treated in hospital emergency department for non-fatal gunshot wounds in 2007.2
Firearms were the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide in 2007, following motor vehicle accidents and poisoning.3
Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period.4
In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S., however, every seven weeks.5
Homicide
Guns were used in 12,632 homicides in 2007, comprising over 40% of all gun deaths, and nearly 69% of all homicides.6
On average, 33 gun homicides were committed each day for the years 2002-2007.7
Regions and states with higher rates of gun ownership have significantly higher rates of homicide than states with lower rates of gun ownership.8
Where guns are prevalent, there are significantly more homicides, particularly gun homicides.9
Suicide
Firearms were used in 17,352 suicides in 2007, constituting 55% of all gun deaths.10
Over 50% of all suicides are committed with a firearm.11
On average, 46 gun suicides were committed each day for the years 2001-2007.12
White males, about 40% of the U.S. population, accounted for over 80% of firearm suicides in 2007.13
A study of California handgun purchasers found that in the first year after the purchase of a handgun, suicide was the leading cause of death among the purchasers.14
Firearms were used in 45% of suicide deaths among persons under age 25 in 2007.15
More than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of 0-19 year-olds were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.16
The risk of suicide increases in homes where guns are kept loaded and/or unlocked.17
Unintentional Deaths & Injuries
In 2007, guns were the cause of the unintentional deaths of 613 people.18
From 2001 through 2007, over 4,900 people in the United States died from unintentional shootings.19
Over 1,750 victims of unintentional shootings between 2001 and 2007 were under 25 years of age.20
People of all age groups are significantly more likely to die from unintentional firearm injuries when they live in states with more guns, relative to states with fewer guns. On average, states with the highest gun levels had nine times the rate of unintentional firearms deaths compared to states with the lowest gun levels.21
A federal government study of unintentional shootings found that 8% of such shooting deaths resulted from shots fired by children under the age of six.22
The U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated that 31% of unintentional deaths caused by firearms might be prevented by the addition of two devices: a child-proof safety lock (8%) and a loading indicator (23%).23
Gun Deaths & Race
Firearm homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans ages 1-44.24
African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but in 2007 suffered over 26% of all firearm deaths – and over 55% of all firearm homicides.25
Domestic Violence
Guns increase the probability of death in incidents of domestic violence.26
Firearms were used to kill more than two-thirds of spouse and ex-spouse homicide victims between 1990 and 2005.27
Domestic violence assaults involving a firearm are 23 times more likely to result in death than those involving other weapons or bodily force.28
Abused women are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser owns a firearm.29
A recent survey of female domestic violence shelter residents in California found that more than one third (36.7%) reported having been threatened or harmed with a firearm.30 In nearly two thirds (64.5%) of the households that contained a firearm, the intimate partner had used the firearm against the victim, usually threatening to shoot or kill the victim.31
Laws that prohibit the purchase of a firearm by a person subject to a domestic violence restraining order are associated with a reduction in the number of intimate partner homicides.32
Between 1990 and 2005, individuals killed by current dating partners made up almost half of all spouse and current dating partner homicides.33
A study of applicants for domestic violence restraining orders in Los Angeles found that the most common relationship between the victim and abuser was a dating relationship, and applications for protective orders were more likely to mention firearms when the parties had not lived together and were not married.34
For additional information about domestic violence and firearms, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Domestic Violence and Firearms Policy Summary.
Costs of Gun Violence
Firearm-related deaths and injuries result in estimated medical costs of $2.3 billion each year – half of which are borne by U.S. taxpayers.35
Once all the direct and indirect medical, legal and societal costs are factored together, the annual cost of gun violence in America amounts to $100 billion.36
Gun Ownership
Americans own an estimated 270 million firearms – approximately 90 guns for every 100 people.37
Gun Crimes
In 2007, nearly 70% of all murders nationwide were committed with a firearm.38
In 2007, 385,178 total firearm crimes were committed, including 11,512 murders, 190,514 robberies, and 183,153 aggravated assaults.39
Youth – Gun Violence & Gun Access
Guns cause the death of 20 children and young adults (24 years of age and under) each day in the U.S.40
Children and young adults (24 years of age and under) constitute over 41% of all firearm deaths and non-fatal injuries.41
In the United States, over 1.69 million kids age 18 and under are living in households with loaded and unlocked firearms.42
More than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts and unintentional injuries of 0-19 year-olds were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.43
A 2000 study found that 55% of U.S. homes with children and firearms have one or more firearms in an unlocked place; 43% have guns without a trigger lock in an unlocked place.44
The practices of keeping firearms locked, unloaded, and storing ammunition in a locked location separate from firearms may assist in reducing youth suicide and unintentional injury in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored.45
Many young children, including children as young as three years old, are strong enough to fire handguns.46
Dangers of Gun Use for Self-Defense
Using a gun in self-defense is no more likely to reduce the chance of being injured during a crime than various other forms of protective action.47
Of the 13,636 Americans who were murdered in 2009, only 215 were killed by firearms (165 by handguns) in homicides by private citizens that law enforcement determined were justifiable.48
A study reviewing surveys of gun use in the U.S. determined that most self-reported self-defense gun uses may well be illegal and against the interests of society.49
The Dangers of Handguns
From 1993 to 2001, an annual average of 737,360 violent crimes were committed with handguns in the U.S., making handguns seven times more likely to be used to commit violent crimes than other firearms.50
Although handguns make up only 34% of firearms, approximately 80% of firearm homicides are committed with a handgun.51
Women face an especially high risk of handgun violence.52 In 2008, 71% of female homicide victims were killed with a handgun.53
A California study found that in the first year after the purchase of a handgun, suicide was the leading cause of death among handgun purchasers.54 In the first week after the purchase of a handgun, the firearm suicide rate among the purchasers was 57 times as high as the adjusted rate in the general population.55
A 1991 study documenting the effectiveness of Washington, D.C.’s law banning handguns (this law was recently repealed following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling finding it unconstitutional in District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S. Ct. 2783 (2008)) found that following the enactment of the ban in 1976, there was a 25% decline in homicides committed with firearms and a 23% decline in suicides committed with firearms within the District of Columbia.56 No similar reductions were observed in the number of homicides or suicides committed by other means, nor were similar reductions found in the adjacent metropolitan areas in Maryland and Virginia.57
As a result of its now-repealed handgun ban, the District of Columbia had the lowest rate of youth suicide in the nation – lower than any state.58
For more information about the dangers of handguns, see the Violence Policy Center publication Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove that Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice for Self-Defense.
Dangers of Permissive Carrying Concealed Weapons (CCW) Laws
Shall-issue laws permitting the carrying of concealed firearms (CCW) (where law enforcement has no discretion in issuing a permit or license) do not appear to reduce crime, and no credible statistical evidence exists that such permissive CCW laws reduce crime. There is evidence permissive CCW laws generally will increase crime.59
A National Academy of Sciences report reviewing existing data on the effectiveness of firearm laws, including research purporting to demonstrate that concealed carry (also called “right-to-carry”) laws reduce crime, found that the “evidence to date does not adequately indicate either the sign or the magnitude of a causal link between the passage of right-to-carry laws and crime rates.”60
An analysis of Texas’ CCW law, (a law adopted in 1995 that overturned the state’s 125-year ban on concealed weapons), found that between January 1, 1996 and August 31, 2001, Texas license holders were arrested for 5,314 crimes, including murder, ****, kidnapping and theft.61
From 1996 to 2000, Texas CCW holders were arrested for weapons-related crimes at a rate 81% higher than that of the state’s general population age 21 and older.62
Since the Texas law took effect, more than 400 criminals – including rapists and armed robbers – had been issued CCW permits, and thousands of the 215,000 permit holders have been arrested for criminal behavior or found to be mentally unstable.63 The “largest category of problem licensees involve[d] those who committed crimes after getting their state” permits.64
Florida’s CCW system had, just in the first half of 2006, licensed more than 1,400 individuals who had pleaded guilty or no contest to felonies, 216 individuals with outstanding warrants, 128 people with active domestic violence injunctions against them, and six registered sex offenders.65
For additional information about the carrying of concealed weapons, including information on the dangers posed by carrying guns in public, see LCAV’s Report America Caught in the Crossfire: How Concealed Carry Laws Threaten Public Safety and our Carrying Concealed Weapons Policy Summary.
International/Comparative Statistics
The U.S. has the highest rate of firearm deaths among 25 high-income nations.66 Another study concluded that among 36 high-income and upper-middle-income countries, the U.S. has the highest overall gun mortality rate.67
The overall firearm-related death rate among U.S. children under the age of 15 is nearly 12 times higher than that among children in 25 other industrialized nations combined.68
The firearm-related suicide rate for children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old in the United States is nearly 11 times higher than that in 25 other developed countries.69
Americans own far more civilian firearms – particularly handguns – than people in other industrialized nations and U.S. gun laws are among the most lax in the world.70
Guns in the Home/Safe Storage
Living in a home where there are guns increases the risk of homicide by 40 to 170% and the risk of suicide by 90 to 460%.71
Guns kept in the home are more likely to be involved in a fatal or nonfatal unintentional shooting, criminal assault or suicide attempt than to be used to injure or kill in self-defense.72
Having a gun in the home is associated with an increased risk of firearm homicide and firearm suicide in the home, regardless of storage practice, type of gun, or number of guns in the home.73
Rather than conferring protection, guns in the home are associated with an increase in the risk of homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance.74
The relative risk of dying from an unintentional gunshot injury is 3.7 times higher for adults living in homes with guns, with handguns in the home posing a particular threat.75
States with higher rates of household firearm ownership have significantly higher homicide victimization rates.76
People who keep a gun in their home are almost twice as likely to die in a gun-related homicide and 16 times more likely to use a gun to commit suicide than people without a gun in their home.77
A study of firearm storage patterns in U.S. homes found that “
- f the homes with children and firearms, 55% were reported to have one or more firearms in an unlocked place,” and 43% reported keeping guns without a trigger lock in an unlocked place.78
A recent study on adult firearm storage practices in U.S. homes found that over 1.69 million children and youth under age 18 are living in homes with loaded and unlocked firearms.79
Keeping a firearm unloaded and locked, with the ammunition stored in a locked location separate from the firearm, significantly decreases the risk of suicide and unintentional firearm injury and death involving both long guns and handguns. These safe storage measures serve as a “protective effect” and assist in reducing youth suicide and unintentional injury in homes with children and teenagers where guns are stored.80
The presence of unlocked guns in the home increases the risk not only of accidental gun injuries but of intentional shootings as well. One study found that more than 75% of the guns used in youth suicide attempts and unintentional injuries were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend.81
Guns in the Workplace
In 2009, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 81% of workplace homicides were committed with a firearm.82
While workplace homicides have decreased steadily over time, the rate of shootings committed by co-workers or former co-workers has remained steady, with an average of 45 homicides by shooting committed by a co-worker or former co-worker per year between 1992 and 2006.83
A 2005 study found that workplaces where guns were specifically permitted were five to seven times more likely to be the site of a worker homicide relative to those where all weapons were prohibited.84
Guns in Schools
A U.S. Secret Service study of 37 school shootings in 26 states found that in nearly two-thirds of the incidents, the attacker got the gun from his or her own home or that of a relative.85
Guns on Campus
College student gun owners are more likely than those who do not own guns to engage in activities that put themselves and others at risk for severe or life-threatening injuries, including reckless behavior involving alcohol, driving while intoxicated, and suffering an alcohol-related injury.86
One study found that two-thirds of gun-owning college students engage in binge drinking, and are more likely than unarmed college students to drink “frequently and excessively” and then engage in risky activities such as driving under the influence of alcohol and vandalizing property.87
Approximately 9 out of 10 college students who were victims of violent crime were victimized off campus.88 Firearms were used in only 9% of all violent crimes against college students over the period 1995-2002.89
Fewer than 2% of students reported being threatened with a gun while at college.90
Gun Trafficking/Private Sales
Interstate firearms trafficking flourishes, in part, because states regulate firearm sales differently and there is no federal limitation on the number of guns that an individual may purchase at any one time.91
More than half a million firearms are stolen each year in the United States and more than half of stolen firearms are handguns, many of which are subsequently sold illegally.92
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) issued a comprehensive report in 2000 detailing firearms trafficking investigations involving more than 84,000 diverted firearms, finding that federally licensed firearms dealers were associated with the largest number of trafficked guns – over 40,000 – and concluded that the dealers’ “access to large numbers of firearms makes them a particular threat to public safety when they fail to comply with the law.”93
According to ATF, one percent of federally licensed firearms dealers are responsible for selling almost 60 percent of the guns that are found at crime scenes and traced to dealers.94
Nearly a quarter of ATF gun trafficking investigations involved stolen firearms and were associated with over 11,000 trafficked firearms – including 10% percent of the investigations which involved guns stolen from residences.95
A 1997 U.S. Department of Justice survey found that 8.4% of state prison inmates who used or possessed a firearm during the offense for which they were incarcerated obtained the gun from the illegal market.96
Random inspections by ATF have uncovered that a large percentage of dealers violate federal law, and that percentage is growing.97
An estimated 40% of the guns acquired in the U.S. annually come from unlicensed sellers who are not required by federal law to conduct background checks on gun purchasers.98
Nearly 80% of Mexico’s illegal firearms and most recovered crime guns in major Canadian cities are imported illegally from the U.S.99
For additional information on illegal gun trafficking and gun tracing, visit the Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns’ Trace Data Center. For additional information about private sales, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Private Sales Policy Summary.
Gun Shows
A recent study comparing gun shows in California (a state that regulates gun shows and private firearm transfers) with gun shows in states with little to no such regulation found that at gun shows in states with less regulation, straw purchases were more common, armed attendees selling guns were more common, and vendors were more likely to sell assault weapons and 50 caliber rifles.100
A study by ATF found that 25% to 50% of gun show vendors are unlicensed.101
ATF reviewed over 1,500 of its investigations and concluded that gun shows are a “major trafficking channel,” associated with approximately 26,000 firearms diverted from legal to illegal commerce. Gun shows rank second to corrupt dealers as a source for illegally trafficked firearms.102
From 2004 – 2006, ATF conducted 202 investigative operations at 195 guns shows, or roughly 3% of the gun shows held nationwide during this period. These operations resulted in 121 arrests and the seizure of 5,345 firearms.103
For additional information about gun shows, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Gun Shows Policy Summary.
Multiple Sales/Purchases
Handguns sold in multiple sales to the same individual purchaser are frequently used in crime.104
ATF crime gun trace data reveal that 22% of all handguns recovered in crime in 1999 had been transferred to a purchaser in a single sale involving multiple firearms (otherwise known as a “multiple sale”).105
Crime gun trace data from 2000 show that 20% of all retail handguns recovered in crime were purchased as part of a multiple sale.106
As a result of Virginia’s law restricting multiple sales, the odds of tracing a gun originally acquired in the Southeast to a Virginia gun dealer (as opposed to a dealer in a different southeastern state) dropped by 71% for guns recovered in New York, 72% for guns recovered in Massachusetts, and 66% for guns recovered in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined.107
Jurisdictions with weaker firearms laws attract gun traffickers who make multiple purchases and resell those guns in jurisdictions with stronger firearms laws.108
For additional information about multiple sales or purchases of firearms, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Restrictions on Multiple Purchases or Sales of Firearms Policy Summary.
Assault Weapons/Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines
A study analyzing FBI data found that 20% of the law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty from 1998 to 2001 were killed with an assault weapon.109
As of 1994, 21% of civilian-owned handguns and 18% of all civilian-owned firearms were equipped with magazines that could hold 10 or more rounds.110
Guns equipped with large capacity magazines were involved in 14% to 26% of gun crimes prior to the federal assault weapon ban in 1994 (the ban expired in 2004), as compared with assault weapons, which accounted for 6% of gun crimes.111
Anecdotal evidence from law enforcement leaders suggests that military-style assault weapons are increasingly being used against law enforcement by drug dealers and gang members.112
For additional information about assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, including background information and state and local laws on these topics, see LCAV’s Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines policy summaries.
Non-Powder Guns
Non-powder guns, including BB, air and pellet guns, injured 25,580 people in 2006, including 17,325 children age 19 or younger.113
From July 1993 to July 2003, non-powder guns caused 40 deaths nationwide.114 Although injury rates for non-powder guns appear to have declined significantly since the early 1990’s, non-powder guns are becoming more powerful and more accurate, and are often designed to appear almost indistinguishable from firearms.115
For additional information about non-powder guns, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Non-Powder Guns Policy Summary.
Personalized Firearms
Personalized firearms, also known as “smart” or “owner-authorized” guns, are firearms that can only be fired by the lawful owner or other authorized users. A 2003 study analyzing data from seven years of unintended firearm deaths or deaths of undetermined intent found that 37% of the deaths could have been prevented by a personalized gun.116
For additional information about personalized firearms, including background information and state and local laws on the topic, see LCAV’s Personalized Firearms Policy Summary.
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Footnotes
1. Nat’l Ctr. for Injury Prevention & Control, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Web-Based Injury Statistics Query & Reporting System (WISQARS) Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, at
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_sy.html (last visited Aug. 5, 2010) (hereinafter WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007).
2. Nat’l Ctr. for Injury Prevention & Control, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Web-Based Injury Statistics Query & Reporting System (WISQARS) Nonfatal Injury Reports, at
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html (last visited Aug. 5, 2010) (hereinafter WISQARS Nonfatal Injury Reports).
3. Nat’l Ctr. for Injury Prevention & Control, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Leading Causes of Death Reports, 1999-2007, at
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus10.html (last visited Aug. 5, 2010) (hereinafter WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, 1999-2007); WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
4. U.S. Department of Defense, Statistical Information Analysis Division, Personnel & Military Casualty Statistics, U.S. Military Casualties in Southeast Asia: Vietnam Conflict – Casualty Summary As of May 16, 2008, at
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/vietnam.pdf (last visited Aug. 20, 2010); WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
5. U.S. Department of Defense, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) U.S. Casualty Status, Fatalities as of: Nov. 8, 2010, 10 a.m. EDT, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf (last visited Nov. 9, 2010); WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
6. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
7. Id.
8. Matthew Miller, Deborah Azrael & David Hemenway, Rates of Household Firearm Ownership and Homicide Across US Regions and States, 1988-1997, 92 Am. J. Pub. Health 1988 (2002).
9. David Hemenway, Private Guns, Public Health 65 (2004).
10. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
11. Id.
12. Id.
13. Id.
14. Garen J. Wintemute et al., Mortality Among Recent Purchasers of Handguns, 341 New Eng. J. Med. 1583, 1585 (Nov. 18, 1999).
15. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
16. David C. Grossman, Donald T. Reay & Stephanie A. Baker, Self-inflicted & Unintentional Firearm Injuries Among Children & Adolescents: The Source of the Firearm, 153 Archives Pediatric & Adolescent Med. 875 (Aug. 1999), at
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/153/8/875.
17. Matthew Miller & David Hemenway, The Relationship Between Firearms and Suicide: A Review of the Literature, 4 Aggression & Violent Behavior 59, 62-65 (1999) (summarizing the findings of multiple studies).
18. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
19. Id.
20. Id.
21. Matthew Miller, Deborah Azrael & David Hemenway, Firearm Availability and Unintentional Firearm Deaths, 33 Accident Analysis & Prevention 477 (July 2001).
22. U.S. General Accounting Office, Accidental Shootings: Many Deaths and Injuries Caused by Firearms Could Be Prevented 17 (Mar. 1991), at
http://161.203.16.4/d20t9/143619.pdf.
23. Id. A loading indicator, also known as a “chamber load indicator,” is a safety device that indicates at a glance whether a firearm is loaded and whether a round remains in the chamber.
24. WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 3.
25. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
26. Susan B. Sorenson, Firearm Use in Intimate Partner Violence: A Brief Overview, in 30 Evaluation Review, A Journal of Applied Social Research, Special Issue: Intimate Partner Violence and Firearms, 229, 232-33 (Susan B. Sorenson ed., 2006).
27. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, Homicide Trends in the U.S.: Intimate Homicide (July 2007), at
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/intimates.cfm.
28. Linda E. Saltzman, et al., Weapon Involvement and Injury Outcomes in Family and Intimate Assaults, 267 JAMA, 3043-3047 (1992).
29. Jacquelyn C. Campbell et al., Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results from a Multisite Case Control Study, 93 Am. J. Pub. Health 1089, 1092 (July 2003).
30. Susan B. Sorenson et al., Weapons in the Lives of Battered Women, 94 Am. J. Pub. Health 1412, 1413 (2004).
31. Id. at 1414.
32. Elizabeth R. Vigdor et al., Do Laws Restricting Access to Firearms by Domestic Violence Offenders Prevent Intimate Partner Homicide?, 30 Evaluation Rev. 313, 332 (June 2006).
33. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, supra note 27.
34. Katherine A. Vittes et al., Are Temporary Restraining Orders More Likely to be Issued When Application Mention Firearms?, 30 Evaluation Rev. 266, 271, 275 (2006).
35. Philip Cook et al., The Medical Costs of Gunshot Injuries in the United States, 282 JAMA 447 (Aug. 4, 1999)
36. Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, Gun Violence: The Real Costs 115 (2000).
37. Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City at 39 (Aug. 2007).
38. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Key Facts at a Glance: Crimes Committed with Firearms, 1973-2007, at
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/glance/tables/guncrimetab.cfm (last visited Aug. 15, 2010).
39. Id.
40. WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports, 1999-2007, supra note 1.
41. Id.; WISQARS Nonfatal Injury Reports, supra note 2.
42. Catherine A. Okoro et al., Prevalence of Household Firearms and Firearm-Storage Practices in the 50 States and the District of Columbia: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002, 116 Pediatrics e370, e370 (Sept. 2005), at
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/3/e370.
43. Grossman et al., supra note 16, at 875.
44. Mark A. Schuster et al., Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children, 90 Am. J. Pub. Health 588, 590 (Apr. 2000).
45. David C. Grossman et al., Gun Storage Practices and Risk of Youth Suicide and Unintentional Firearm Injuries, 293 JAMA 707, 711-13 (Feb. 2005).
46. Naureckas, S.M. et al, Children's and Women's Ability to Fire Handguns, 149 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 1318 (Dec. 1995).
47. David Hemenway, Private Guns, Public Health 78 (2004).
48. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Crime in the United States, 2009, Expanded Homicide Data Table 15, at
http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/expanded_information/data/shrtable_15.html (last visited Oct. 10, 2010). (A “justifiable homicide” in this context is defined by the FBI as the killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen.)
49. David Hemenway, Deborah Azrael & Matthew Miller, Gun Use in the United States: Results from Two National Surveys, 6 Inj. Prevention 263, 263 (2000).
50. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1993-2001 -- Weapon Use and Violent Crime 3 (Sept. 2003).
51. Violence Policy Center, Handgun Ban Backgrounder (1999), at
http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/hgbanfs.htm.
52. Wintemute, supra note 14, at 1585.
53. Violence Policy Center, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2008 Homicide Data 7 (Sept. 2010), at
http://www.vpc.org/studies/wmmw2010.pdf.
54. Wintemute, supra note 14, at 1583-84.
55. Id. at 1585.
56. Colin Loftin et al., Effects of Restrictive Licensing of Handguns on Homicide and Suicide in the District of Columbia, 325 New Eng. J. Med. 1615, 1615-1620 (Dec. 5, 1991).
57. Id.
58. Violence Policy Center, Safe at Home: How D.C.’s Gun Laws Save Children’s Lives (July 2005), at
http://www.vpc.org/studies/dcsuicide.pdf.
59. Ian Ayres & John J. Donohue III, Shooting Down the “More Guns, Less Crime” Hypothesis, 55 Stan. L. Rev. 1193, 1285, 1296 (Apr. 2003); Ian Ayres & John J. Donohue III, The Latest Misfires in Support of the “More Guns, Less Crime” Hypothesis, 55 Stan. L. Rev. 1371, 1397 (Apr. 2003).
60. National Research Council of the National Academies, Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review 7, 120 – 151 (2005). Gun rights advocates have claimed that “shall issue” CCW laws are associated with a significant reduction in violent crime. See, e.g., John Lott, Jr. & David Mustard, Crime, Deterrence and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns, 26 J. Legal Stud. 1 (1997). Analyses have criticized the methodology and conclusions of these studies. See, e.g., Daniel Webster & Jens Ludwig, Myths about Defensive Gun Use and Permissive Gun Carry Laws, Berkeley Media Studies Group (2000); and John J. Donohue, The Impact of Concealed-Carry Laws, in Evaluating Gun Policy: Effects on Crime and Violence (Jens Ludwig & Philip J. Cook eds., 2003).
61. Violence Policy Center, License to Kill IV: More Guns, More Crime 1-2 (June 2002), at
http://www.vpc.org/graphics/ltk4.pdf.
62. Id. at 5.
63. William C. Rempel & Richard A. Serrano, Felons Get Concealed Gun Licenses Under Bush’s ‘Tough’ Gun Law, L.A. Times, Oct. 3, 2000, at A1.
64. Id.
65. Megan O’Matz, In Florida, It’s Easy to Get a License to Carry a Gun, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 28, 2007, at 1A.
66. Wendy Cukier and Victor Sidel, The Global Gun Epidemic: From Saturday Night Specials to AK-47s, 17 (2006).
67. Etienne G. Krug, Kenneth E. Powell & Linda L. Dahlberg, Firearm-Related Deaths in the United States and 35 Other High- and Upper-Middle Income Countries, 27 Int’l J. Epidemiology 214 (1998).
68. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Rates of Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm-Related Death Among Children – 26 Industrialized Countries (Feb. 7, 1997), at
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046149.htm.
69. Id.
70. Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City at 39 (Aug. 2007). Cukier et al., supra note 66, at 131 (“While gun control is extremely controversial in the United States, with opposition to even basic regulations such as licensing and registration, a review of legislation around the world shows that the norms in most countries, both industrialized and developing, are to strictly regulate civilian possession of firearms.”). See also David Hemenway, Private Guns, Public Health 197-202 (2004). For a simple, relevant comparison: For the period 2006/2007, England and Wales experienced 59 gun homicides, which were 8% of all homicides. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 03/08 - Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2006/07 (Supplementary Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2006/07) 12, 46, available at
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0308.pdf.
71. Garen J. Wintemute, Guns, Fear, the Constitution, and the Public's Health, 358 New England J. Med. 1421-1424 (April 3, 2008), at
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMp0800859.
72. Arthur L. Kellerman et al., Injuries and Deaths Due to Firearms in the Home, 45 J. Trauma 263, 263, 266 (1998).
73. Linda L. Dahlberg et al., Guns in the Home and Risk of a Violent Death in the Home: Findings from a National Study, 160 Am. J. Epidemiology 929, 929, 935 (2004).
74. Arthur L. Kellerman et al., Gun Ownership as a Risk Factor for Homicide in the Home, 329 New Eng. J. Med. 1084 (1993).
75. Douglas J. Wiebe, Firearms in U.S. Homes as a Risk Factor for Unintentional Gunshot Fatality, 35 Accident Analysis & Prevention 711, 713-14 (2003) (finding the relative risk of dying from an unintentional gunshot injury to be 3.7 times higher for adults living in homes with guns).
76. Matthew Miller, David Hemenway, and Deborah Azrael, State-level Homicide Victimization Rates in the U.S. in Relation to Survey Measures of Household Firearm Ownership, 2001 -2003, 64 Soc. Sci. & Med. 656, 660 (2007).
77. Douglas Wiebe, Homicide and Suicide Risks Associated with Firearms in the Home: A National Case-control Study, 41 Annals of Emergency Medicine 771 (June 2003).
78. Schuster et al., supra note 44, at 590.
79. Okoro et al., supra note 42, at e371-e372.
80. Grossman et al., supra note 45, at 711-13.
81. Grossman et al., supra note 16, at 875
82. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Dep't of Labor, 2009 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, TABLE A-6. Fatal Occupational Injuries Resulting from Transportation Incidents and Homicides by Occupation, All United States, 2009, at
http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0246.pdf (last visited Oct. 27, 2010) (reporting that 420 of the 521 homicides were homicides by shooting).
83. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and Fatal Injuries Profiles, at
http://www.bls.gov/data/home.htm#injuries (last visited June 16, 2008).
84. Dana Loomis, Stephen W. Marshall, and Myduc L. Ta, Employer Policies Toward Guns and the Risk of Homicide in the Workplace, 95 Am. J. Pub. Health 830, 831 (May 2005) (surveying 105 workplaces where an employee had been the victim of a homicide).
85. United States Secret Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Safe School Initiative: An Interim Report on the Prevention of Targeted Violence in Schools 6 (Oct. 2000).
86. Matthew Miller, David Hemenway & Henry Wechsler, Guns at College, 48 J. Am. C. Health 7, 9 (1999).
87. Matthew Miller, David Hemenway & Henry Wechsler, Guns and Gun Threats at College, 51 J. Am. C. Health 57, 63 (Sept. 2002).
88. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, National Crime Victimization Survey – Violent Victimization of College Students, 1995-2002 1, 5 (Jan. 2005), at
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89. Id. at 5.
90. Miller et al., supra note 87, at 63.
91. Douglas S. Weil & Rebecca C. Knox, Effects of Limiting Handgun Purchases on Interstate Transfer of Firearms, JAMA 1759, 1759-60 (1996).
92. Philip J. Cook & James A. Leitzel, “Smart” Guns: A Technological Fix for Regulating the Secondary Market 7, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University, Working Paper Series SAN01-10 (July 2001).
93. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearms Traffickers ix, x (June 2000).
94. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Commerce in Firearms in the United States 14 (Feb. 2000).
95. Id. at 11, 41.
96. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of Justice, Firearm Use by Offenders: Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities 6 (Nov. 2001), at
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/fuo.pdf.
97. Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “‘Trivial Violations’? The Myth of Overzealous Federal Enforcement Actions Against Licensed Gun Dealers” 1 (Sept. 2006).
98. Philip J. Cook & Jens Ludwig, Guns in America: National Survey on Private Ownership and Use of Firearms, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice Research in Brief 6-7 (May 1997).
99. Wintemute, Garen J., Gun Shows Across a Multistate American Gun Market: Observational Evidence of the Effects of Regulatory Policies, 13 Inj. Prevention 150, 150 (2007), at "
http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/13/3/150. See also Alicia A. Caldwell, ATF: Most Illegal Guns in Mexico Come from U.S., Associated Press, Aug. 11, 2008 (ATF states that nearly all illegal guns seized in Mexico – 90 to 95 percent – originally come from the U.S.)
100. Wintemute, supra note 99, at 154-55.
101. U.S. Department of Justice & Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Gun Shows: Brady Checks and Crime Gun Traces 4 (Jan. 1999).
102. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, supra note 94, at xi, 1, 12.
103. Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Investigative Operations at Gun Shows i, iv-v (June 2007).
104. See, e.g., Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Crime Gun Trace Reports (2000) National Report 50 (July 2002); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Crime Gun Trace Reports (1999) National Report 40 (Nov. 2000).
105. Id.
106. Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Crime Gun Trace Reports (2000) National Report, supra note 105, at 50.
107. Douglas S. Weil & Rebecca Knox, Evaluating the Impact of Virginia's One-Gun-A-Month Law, The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence 1, 4-6 (Aug. 1995).
108. Douglas S. Weil & Rebecca C. Knox, Effects of Limiting Handgun Purchases on Interstate Transfer of Firearms, JAMA 1759, 1759-60 (1996).
109. Violence Policy Center, "Officer Down" — Assault Weapons and the War on Law Enforcement, Section One: Assault Weapons, the Gun Industry, and Law Enforcement (May 2003), at
http://www.vpc.org/studies/officeone.htm.
110. Christopher S. Koper, An Updated Assessment of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Impacts on Gun Markets and Gun Violence, 1994-2003, Report to the National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice 6, 18 (June 2004).
111. Id. at 18-19.
112. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities 26-7 (Sept. 2007).
113. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Nonfatal Injury Reports 2006, at
http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html.
114. Jennifer E. Keller et al., Air-Gun Injuries: Initial Evaluation and Resultant Morbidity, 70 Am. Surgeon 484, 484 (June 2004).
115. Ann Marie McNeill & Joseph L. Annest, The Ongoing Hazard of BB and Pellet Gun-Related Injuries in the United States, 26 Annals Emergency Med. 187, 191-92 (Aug. 1995); Press Release, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC Chairman Challenges Toy Industry To Stop Producing Look-Alike Guns (Oct. 17, 1994), at
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/PRHTML95/95009.html.
116. Jon S. Vernick et al., Unintentional and Undetermined Firearm Related Deaths: a Preventable Death Analysis for Three Safety Devices, 9 Inj. Prevention 307, 307-08 (2003) (analyzing data from Maryland and Milwaukee). For additional background on personalized firearms, see Krista D. Robinson et al., Personalized Guns: Reducing Gun Deaths Through Design Changes (Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Pol’y & Res.) (Sept. 1996).
http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp