Citation

Kuehn BM. J. Am. Med. Assoc. JAMA 2022; 327(22): 2183.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jama.2022.9111

PMID

35699699

Abstract

Firearm homicide rates rose by more than a third during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, according to a CDC Vital Signs report. The firearm homicide rate per 100 000 increased from 4.6 in 2019 to 6.1 in 2020--the highest rate since 1994. Communities disproportionately affected by poverty, systemic inequity, and structural racism incurred the heaviest loss of life due to rising gun violence.

According to the report, firearms remain the leading cause of both homicides and suicides in the US. The US suicide rate remained steady at about 8 per 100 000 between 2019 and 2020 but rose in some subgroups.

Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native communities experienced the highest rates and increases in firearm homicide. Firearm homicides of Black male individuals increased from 66.5 to 90.6 per 100 000 among those aged 25 to 44 years and from 54.9 to 77.3 per 100 000 among those aged 10 to 24 years. Black women and girls also saw the largest increase in homicides of any female racial or ethnic group....

Language: en