Why are Mass Shootings so common in the US?

Every week, the Wonder Newsroom asks our community to pose questions on topics confronting our world today.

In 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died from Gun Violence –whether by homicide or suicide–more than any other year on record.

The figure represents a 25% increase from five years prior, and a 43% increase from 2010. With a gun death rate thirteen-times higher than that of other high-income countries, the United States is a global outlier.

This week, our analysts took on the enduring prevalence of an avoidable tragedy: Gun Violence in the United States of America.

GUN VIOLENCE, BY THE NUMBERS:

  • 111 people in the United States are shot and killed every day.

  • 120.9 guns per 100 residents in the US, more than any other country in the world.

  • 356 mass shootings in the US so far this year, through the first 3 weeks of July.

  • 52% of Americans support stricter gun laws.

Source: Statista

Check out the 3rd edition of the Wonder Newsroom below where we ask & answer the most pressing questions about Gun Violence in the US:

  • What has been the most critical gun control legislation to be proposed, but not passed

  • Which US states have the highest rates of gun violence?

  • Is there a correlation between increased police presence and gun violence in certain states?

  • Is there a correlation between gun violence and mental health?

  • What are the most recent statistics on the success of gun buyback programs?

  • For other high-income countries with little or no mass shootings, how do their gun laws compare to that of the US?

  • Could more comprehensive gun control measures lower US suicide rates?

  • What ideas have been proposed to regulate the 3D printing of firearms?

 
Chris Connorsgun violence, gun control, school shootings, congress