America’s Darkest Side: How gun violence claims 114 lives on an average every day

The US continues to struggle with horrific mass shootings, with dozens dying each year. According to Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a “mass shooting” is one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the perpetrator. So far this year, there have been 9,870 gun-related fatalities in the United States or an average of more than 114 a day. Here’s a closer look at gun deaths in America . How many people died from gun violence this year? According to the non-profit gun violence tracker, suicide fatalities accounted for 57.9 per cent of all gun violence deaths this year. In 2023, there were 67 suicide deaths on average every day. 338 teenagers and 60 children were among the people who were killed this year as a result of gun violence, reported ABC News. The report stated Texas, California , Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, and Louisiana have had the most deaths from these causes. The depressing casualty rate from gun violence includes 322 victims of shootings by police officers. The Gun Violence Archive listed 344 shootings as “unintentional.” There have been 130 mass shootings so far in 2023, which have resulted in 193 fatalities and 493 injuries. At least 13 K-12 school shootings have occurred so far this year, and the most recent one occurred in Nashville, Tennessee , on 27 March, when three pupils and three staff members at the Covenant School, a Christian school for preschool through sixth graders, were shot dead. Mass shootings on the rise According to Associated Press, mass shooters have killed hundreds of people throughout US history in realms like stores, theatres and workplaces, but it is in schools and colleges where the carnage reverberates perhaps most keenly — places filled with children of tender ages, older students aspiring to new heights and the teachers planting the seeds of knowledge, their journeys all cut short. Since 2014, the number of gun-related deaths in the US has exceeded 39,000 per year, as per the data from Gun Violence Archive. Even still, fewer people have died from firearms since 2016, 2017, and 2018, when more than 50,000 people died annually. In 2022, there were 44,310 such fatalities. A three-year rise that started in 2020 is quite evident in the rate of mass shootings this year. The total annual number of mass shootings has increased from 417 to 610 during 2019 and 2020. In 2021, it increased once again, to 690. [caption id=“attachment_12364312” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The US continues to struggle with horrific mass shootings, with dozens dying as a result in March already. Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] How many guns are there in America? The country’s mass shootings have drawn attention to the fact that the United States is the most heavily armed country in the world. CNN News cited the data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation from 2019 showing that the rate in the US is eight times higher than in Canada, where gun ownership is the seventh highest in the world, 22 times higher than the European Union, and 23 times higher than Australia. According to Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization, there are about 120 guns for every 100 Americans. No other nation has more civilian guns than people. In addition, a November 2020 Gallup survey found that roughly 44 per cent of American adults live in a home with a gun and that about one-third of them personally own one. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2021, almost a third of American respondents believe that if more individuals had weapons, crime would decrease. However, numerous studies reveal that gun-related deaths , such as suicide, homicide, and unintentional injury, seem to be more frequent in areas where people have easy access to firearms. [caption id=“attachment_12364482” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Metro Nashville Police and federal law enforcement agencies search and investigate a house in the 3000 block of Brightwood Ave. following a mass shooting at Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. AP[/caption] What is the administration doing? The first gun reform legislation in decades was signed into law by President Joe Biden in June, even though it was not as comprehensive as he had hoped, according to ABC News. The legislation, however, did not ban assault weapons. Even so, supporters of gun control continue to call for stricter regulations. According to the outlet, on the fifth anniversary of the devastating massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida politicians Representative Jared Moskowitz and Representative Maxwell Frost spoke with “GMA3” and urged Congress to take additional steps to reduce gun violence. Five years later, we believe we have made some progress, Moskowitz said, but then pointed out that nothing has changed. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.