The Growing Burden of Firearm Violence in the United States

Gun violence is a significant public healthcare challenge that continues to pose a problem in the US. Despite the number of regulations and policy recommendations in place, the burden is still prevalent, affecting over 40,000 Americans annually with the majority of these being gun suicides and homicides. For instance, in 2022, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions reported at least 48,204 deaths attributed to gun violence. 27,032 of these deaths were suicides, 19,651 homicides, 463 unintentional discharges, 643 from legal interventions, and 415 were undetermined. Gun violence also disproportionately affects young people, with children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 bearing the brunt of this violence. In 2022 for example, 2,526 deaths in this population group were caused by gun violence. Gun violence also causes a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress among children and adolescents. Gun violence is attributed to a number of factors such as socioeconomic disadvantage, availability and access, storage practices, mental health problems, and structural and institutional racism. Considering the negative effects of gun violence in communities, there is a need for comprehensive measures that can address the problem. Regulatory reforms that emphasize more on strict measures such as carrying out background checks, gun control laws, and policy changes can help to address gun violence. Measures can also be implemented at the community level with different community interventions that have been proven to have positive effects. Such measures can help to tackle the complex factors that increase the risk of gun violence in communities. The aim of this review is to explore the growing burden of firearm violence and the impact it is having on the communities affected. The review will explore the statistical trends of gun violence over the past five years by looking at the recent number of firearm cases. The review will also explore measures that can be put in place to address the problem including stricter laws and community interventions.