A study by Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and the University of Pittsburgh published earlier this week shows that the rate of firearm deaths in the U.S rose drastically beginning in 2015.
Their research states that the rate of firearm deaths in the United States rose by 14% from 2015-2017. This sharply contrasts the rate from 1999-2014 which hovered around 10.5 deaths per 100,000 people.
April Zeoli is an associate professor at MSU and one of the authors of this study. She says that one of the aims of this research was to try to help lawmakers understand how the research affects their communities “and try to craft solutions … that fit their state.”
Over the nineteen year span of the study, only four states and the District of Columbia saw an overall decrease in total gun deaths. Hispanic whites were also the only demographic with reduced firearm mortality rates.
Zeoli hopes that with the publication of this study, people and lawmakers especially will have a better understanding of how gun violence affects them.
“Really we want to arm people with information that they can use to hopefully make a positive change."
