What is Gun Violence?
Gun violence is a violent act committed with the use of a firearm and is the leading cause of premature death in the United States. More than 38,000 people per year are killed from the use of guns and roughly 85,000 are injured in the U.S. alone. Criminal and non-criminal acts of violence make up the amount of incidents ranging from homicide to accidental or unintentional injury and death. Firearms are deeply rooted within American culture which is why it is looked as as a public health issue with the U.S. containing roughly 48% of firearms globally. In Oregon at least 1 death per day is due to a firearm related incident either criminal or non criminal, which from 2010 - 2014 has caused an average of 465 deaths per year with little change. Click here for more information on Oregon firearm fatalities.
Prevention
Multiple firearm reforms have been suggested for the state of Oregon and nationwide. Ceasefire Oregon proposes BHB 3223: End the proliferation of military-style guns and is looking to reduce gun violence by 30-50% with three key strategies:
- Requiring higher standards for gun ownership.
- Enhance accountability of federally licensed firearm dealers.
- Improve safety standards for guns and gun ownership.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Tony Webster