In 2018, the Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms distributed globally, of which 857 million (about 85 percent) are in civilian hands. [1] [2] The survey stated that American civilians account for an estimated 393 million (about 46 percent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms, [2] or about 120.5 firearms for every 100 American residents. [2]
The world's armed forces control about 133 million (approximately 18 percent) of the global total of small arms, of which over 43 percent belong to two countries: Russia (30.3 million) and China (27.5 million). [1] Law enforcement agencies control about 23 million (about 2 percent) of the global total of small arms. [1] Gun ownership is a protected right in countries such as the United States, Mexico, Guatemala. [3]
The following data comes from the Small Arms Survey. For more tables see: Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country and Percent of households with guns by country.
Countries and territories | Estimate of firearms in civilian possession | Population 2017 | Estimate of civilian firearms per 100 people |
---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 4,270,000 | 34,169,000 | 12.5 |
Albania | 350,000 | 2,911,000 | 12.0 |
Algeria | 877,000 | 41,064,000 | 2.1 |
American Samoa (United States) | 400 | 56,000 | 0.7 |
Andorra | 10,000 | 69,000 | 14.1 |
Angola | 2,982,000 | 26,656,000 | 11.2 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 5,000 | 94,000 | 5.4 |
Argentina | 3,256,000 | 44,272,000 | 7.4 |
Armenia | 186,000 | 3,032,000 | 6.1 |
Aruba (Netherlands) | 3,000 | 105,000 | 2.6 |
Australia | 3,573,000 | 24,642,000 | 14.5 |
Austria | 2,577,000 | 8,592,000 | 30.0 |
Azerbaijan | 362,000 | 9,974,000 | 3.6 |
Bahamas | 74,000 | 397,000 | 18.8 |
Bahrain | 181,000 | 1,419,000 | 12.8 |
Bangladesh | 659,000 | 164,828,000 | 0.4 |
Barbados | 10,000 | 286,000 | 3.5 |
Belarus | 581,000 | 9,459,000 | 6.1 |
Belgium | 1,451,000 | 11,444,000 | 12.7 |
Belize | 37,000 | 375,000 | 10.0 |
Benin | 33,000 | 11,459,000 | 0.3 |
Bermuda (United Kingdom) | 3,000 | 61,000 | 4.6 |
Bhutan | 6,000 | 793,000 | 0.8 |
Bolivia | 218,000 | 11,053,000 | 2.0 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,185,000 | 3,793,000 | 31.2 |
Botswana | 97,000 | 2,344,000 | 4.1 |
Brazil | 17,510,000 | 211,243,000 | 8.3 |
Brunei | 6,000 | 434,000 | 1.4 |
Bulgaria | 590,000 | 7,045,000 | 8.4 |
Burkina Faso | 175,000 | 19,173,000 | 0.9 |
Burundi | 238,000 | 11,936,000 | 2.0 |
Cambodia | 717,000 | 16,076,000 | 4.5 |
Cameroon | 510,000 | 24,514,000 | 2.1 |
Canada | 12,708,000 | 36,626,000 | 34.7 |
Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) | 31,000 | 533,000 | 5.7 |
Cayman Islands (United Kingdom) | 6,000 | 62,000 | 9.2 |
Central African Republic | 94,000 | 5,099,000 | 1.8 |
Chad | 151,000 | 14,965,000 | 1.0 |
Channel Islands | 23,000 | 165,000 | 14.0 |
Chile | 2,220,000 | 18,313,000 | 12.1 |
China | 49,735,000 | 1,388,233,000 | 3.6 |
Christmas Island | 0 | 2,000 | 0.0 |
Colombia | 4,971,000 | 49,068,000 | 10.1 |
Comoros | 12,000 | 826,000 | 1.5 |
Costa Rica | 493,000 | 4,906,000 | 10.0 |
Croatia | 576,000 | 4,210,000 | 13.7 |
Cuba | 234,000 | 11,390,000 | 2.1 |
Curaçao | 4,000 | 160,000 | 2.6 |
Cyprus | 285,000 | 839,000 | 34.0 |
Czech Republic | 1,323,000 | 10,555,000 | 12.5 |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 946,000 | 82,243,000 | 1.2 |
Denmark | 567,000 | 5,712,000 | 9.9 |
Djibouti | 28,000 | 911,000 | 3.1 |
Dominica | 5,000 | 73,000 | 6.2 |
Dominican Republic | 795,000 | 10,767,000 | 7.4 |
Ecuador | 402,000 | 16,626,000 | 2.4 |
Egypt | 3,931,000 | 95,215,000 | 4.1 |
El Salvador | 737,000 | 6,167,000 | 12.0 |
England and Wales | 2,731,000 | 58,877,000 | 4.6 |
Equatorial Guinea | 112,000 | 894,000 | 12.5 |
Eritrea | 23,000 | 5,482,000 | 0.4 |
Estonia | 65,000 | 1,306,000 | 5.0 |
Ethiopia | 377,000 | 104,345,000 | 0.4 |
Falkland Islands (United Kingdom) | 2,000 | 3,000 | 66.7 |
Faroe Islands (Denmark) | 5,000 | 49,000 | 9.9 |
Fiji | 5,000 | 903,000 | 0.5 |
Finland | 1,793,000 | 5,541,000 | 32.4 |
France | 12,732,000 | 64,939,000 | 19.6 |
French Guiana (France) | 55,000 | 283,000 | 19.6 |
French Polynesia (France) | 7,000 | 289,000 | 2.5 |
Gabon | 61,000 | 1,801,000 | 3.4 |
Gambia | 137,000 | 2,120,000 | 6.5 |
Georgia | 402,000 | 3,973,000 | 10.1 |
Germany | 15,822,000 | 80,636,000 | 19.6 |
Ghana | 2,280,000 | 28,657,000 | 8.0 |
Gibraltar (United Kingdom) | 1,000 | 32,000 | 4.1 |
Greece | 1,920,000 | 10,893,000 | 17.6 |
Greenland (Denmark) | 13,000 | 56,000 | 22.3 |
Grenada | 5,000 | 108,000 | 4.6 |
Guadeloupe (France) | 40,000 | 472,000 | 8.5 |
Guam (United States) | 20,000 | 174,000 | 11.5 |
Guatemala | 2,062,000 | 17,005,000 | 12.1 |
Guinea | 130,000 | 13,291,000 | 1.0 |
Guinea-Bissau | 29,000 | 1,933,000 | 1.5 |
Guyana | 122,000 | 774,000 | 15.8 |
Haiti | 291,000 | 10,983,000 | 2.6 |
Holy See | 0 | 1,000 | 0.0 |
Honduras | 1,171,000 | 8,305,000 | 14.1 |
Hong Kong (China) | 265,000 | 7,402,000 | 3.6 |
Hungary | 1,023,000 | 9,788,000 | 10.5 |
Iceland | 106,000 | 334,000 | 31.7 |
India | 71,101,000 | 1,342,513,000 | 5.3 |
Indonesia | 82,000 | 263,510,000 | 0.03 |
Iran | 5,890,000 | 80,946,000 | 7.3 |
Iraq | 7,588,000 | 38,654,000 | 19.6 |
Ireland | 342,000 | 4,749,000 | 7.2 |
Israel | 557,000 | 8,323,000 | 6.7 |
Italy | 8,609,000 | 59,798,000 | 14.4 |
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) | 1,049,000 | 23,816,000 | 4.4 |
Jamaica | 246,000 | 2,813,000 | 8.8 |
Japan | 377,000 | 126,045,000 | 0.3 |
Jordan | 1,473,000 | 7,877,000 | 18.7 |
Kazakhstan | 504,000 | 18,064,000 | 2.8 |
Kenya | 750,000 | 48,467,000 | 1.5 |
Kiribati | 900 | 116,000 | 0.8 |
Kosovo | 436,000 | 1,831,000 | 23.8 |
Kuwait | 685,000 | 4,100,000 | 16.7 |
Kyrgyzstan | 171,000 | 6,125,000 | 2.8 |
Laos | 215,000 | 7,038,000 | 3.0 |
Latvia | 205,000 | 1,945,000 | 10.5 |
Lebanon | 1,927,000 | 6,039,000 | 31.9 |
Lesotho | 105,000 | 2,185,000 | 4.8 |
Liberia | 97,000 | 4,730,000 | 2.1 |
Libya | 851,000 | 6,409,000 | 13.3 |
Liechtenstein | 11,000 | 38,000 | 28.8 |
Lithuania | 385,000 | 2,831,000 | 13.6 |
Luxembourg | 110,000 | 584,000 | 18.9 |
Macao (China) | 22,000 | 606,000 | 3.6 |
Madagascar | 168,000 | 25,613,000 | 0.7 |
Malawi | 47,000 | 18,299,000 | 0.3 |
Malaysia | 217,000 | 31,164,000 | 0.7 |
Maldives | 23,000 | 376,000 | 6.2 |
Mali | 206,000 | 18,690,000 | 1.1 |
Malta | 119,000 | 421,000 | 28.3 |
Marshall Islands | 300 | 53,000 | 0.5 |
Martinique (France) | 34,000 | 396,000 | 8.5 |
Mauritania | 120,000 | 4,266,000 | 2.8 |
Mauritius | 106,000 | 1,281,000 | 8.3 |
Mexico | 16,809,000 | 130,223,000 | 12.9 |
Micronesia | 700 | 106,000 | 0.7 |
Moldova | 121,000 | 4,055,000 | 3.0 |
Monaco | 7,000 | 38,000 | 18.4 |
Mongolia | 242,000 | 3,052,000 | 7.9 |
Montenegro | 245,000 | 626,000 | 39.1 |
Montserrat (United Kingdom) | 300 | 5,000 | 5.4 |
Morocco | 1,690,000 | 35,241,000 | 4.8 |
Mozambique | 1,337,000 | 29,538,000 | 4.5 |
Myanmar | 877,000 | 54,836,000 | 1.6 |
Namibia | 396,000 | 2,569,000 | 15.4 |
Nauru | 0 | 10,000 | 0.0 |
Nepal | 444,000 | 29,187,000 | 1.5 |
Netherlands | 442,000 | 17,033,000 | 2.6 |
New Caledonia (France) | 115,000 | 270,000 | 42.5 |
New Zealand | 1,212,000 | 4,605,000 | 26.3 |
Nicaragua | 323,000 | 6,218,000 | 5.2 |
Niger | 117,000 | 21,564,000 | 0.5 |
Nigeria | 6,154,000 | 191,836,000 | 3.2 |
Northern Ireland | 206,000 | 1,873,000 | 11.0 |
Northern Mariana Islands (United States) | 1,000 | 56,000 | 2.6 |
North Korea | 76,000 | 25,405,000 | 0.3 |
Norway | 1,537,000 | 5,331,000 | 28.8 |
Oman | 792,000 | 4,741,000 | 16.7 |
Pakistan | 43,917,000 | 196,744,000 | 22.3 |
Palau | 100 | 22,000 | 0.5 |
Palestinian Territories | 56,000 | 4,952,000 | 1.1 |
Panama | 436,000 | 4,051,000 | 10.8 |
Papua New Guinea | 79,000 | 7,934,000 | 1.0 |
Paraguay | 1,140,000 | 6,812,000 | 16.7 |
Peru | 633,000 | 32,166,000 | 2.0 |
Philippines | 3,776,000 | 103,797,000 | 3.6 |
Poland | 968,000 | 38,564,000 | 2.5 |
Portugal | 2,186,000 | 10,265,000 | 21.3 |
Puerto Rico (United States) | 422,000 | 3,679,000 | 11.5 |
Puntland | 246,000 | 1,995,000 | 12.3 |
Qatar | 390,000 | 2,338,000 | 16.7 |
Republic of Congo | 119,000 | 4,866,000 | 2.4 |
Réunion (France) | 171,000 | 873,000 | 19.6 |
Romania | 506,000 | 19,238,000 | 2.6 |
Russian Federation | 17,620,000 | 143,375,000 | 12.3 |
Rwanda | 66,000 | 12,160,000 | 0.5 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2,000 | 57,000 | 3.4 |
Saint Lucia | 6,000 | 188,000 | 3.4 |
Saint Martin (France) | 3,000 | 32,000 | 8.5 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 4,000 | 110,000 | 3.4 |
Samoa | 20,000 | 196,000 | 10.1 |
San Marino | 5,000 | 32,000 | 15.6 |
São Tomé and Principe | 7,000 | 198,000 | 3.4 |
Saudi Arabia | 12,564,000 | 32,743,000 | 53.7 |
Scotland | 305,000 | 5,436,000 | 5.6 |
Senegal | 323,000 | 16,054,000 | 2.0 |
Serbia | 2,719,000 | 6,946,000 | 39.1 |
Seychelles | 4,000 | 98,000 | 4.1 |
Sierra Leone | 35,000 | 6,733,000 | 0.5 |
Singapore | 20,000 | 5,785,000 | 0.3 |
Sint Maarten (Netherlands) | 2,000 | 40,000 | 4.2 |
Slovakia | 355,000 | 5,432,000 | 6.5 |
Slovenia | 324,000 | 2,071,000 | 15.6 |
Solomon Islands | 1,000 | 606,000 | 0.2 |
Somalia | 1,145,000 | 9,225,000 | 12.4 |
Somaliland | 456,000 | 3,823,000 | 11.9 |
South Africa | 5,351,000 | 55,436,000 | 9.7 |
South Korea | 79,000 | 50,705,000 | 0.2 |
South Sudan | 1,255,000 | 13,096,000 | 9.6 |
Spain | 3,464,000 | 46,070,000 | 7.5 |
Sri Lanka | 494,000 | 20,905,000 | 2.4 |
Sudan | 2,768,000 | 42,166,000 | 6.6 |
Suriname | 88,000 | 552,000 | 15.9 |
Swaziland | 64,000 | 1,320,000 | 4.8 |
Sweden | 2,296,000 | 9,921,000 | 23.1 |
Switzerland | 2,332,000 | 8,454,000 | 27.6 |
Syrian Arab Republic | 1,547,000 | 18,907,000 | 8.2 |
Taiwan | 10,000 | 23,405,000 | 0.04 |
Tajikistan | 37,000 | 8,858,000 | 0.4 |
Tanzania | 427,000 | 56,878,000 | 0.8 |
Thailand | 10,342,000 | 68,298,000 | 15.1 |
Timor-Leste (East Timor) | 3,000 | 1,237,000 | 0.3 |
Togo | 58,000 | 7,692,000 | 0.8 |
Tonga | 9,000 | 108,000 | 8.0 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 43,000 | 1,369,000 | 3.2 |
Tunisia | 123,000 | 11,495,000 | 1.1 |
Turkey | 13,249,000 | 80,418,000 | 16.5 |
Turkmenistan | 23,000 | 5,503,000 | 0.4 |
Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom) | 1,000 | 35,000 | 3.3 |
Tuvalu | 100 | 10,000 | 1.2 |
Uganda | 331,000 | 41,653,000 | 0.8 |
Ukraine | 4,396,000 | 44,405,000 | 9.9 |
United Arab Emirates | 1,569,000 | 9,398,000 | 16.7 |
United States | 393,347,000 | 326,474,000 | 120.5 |
Uruguay | 1,198,000 | 3,457,000 | 34.7 |
Uzbekistan | 127,000 | 30,691,000 | 0.4 |
Vanuatu | 11,000 | 276,000 | 3.9 |
Venezuela | 5,895,000 | 31,926,000 | 18.5 |
Vietnam | 1,562,000 | 95,415,000 | 1.6 |
Virgin Islands (United Kingdom) | 300 | 31,000 | 0.8 |
Virgin Islands (United States) | 18,000 | 107,000 | 16.6 |
Yemen | 14,859,000 | 28,120,000 | 52.8 |
Zambia | 158,000 | 17,238,000 | 0.9 |
Zimbabwe | 455,000 | 16,338,000 | 2.8 |
Some studies suggest that higher rates of gun ownership are associated with higher homicide rates, [9] [10] [11] although Gary Kleck argues that the highest-quality studies show that gun ownership does not increase homicide rates. [12] Higher rates of gun ownership are also associated with higher suicide rates [13] [14] and higher accidental gun death rates. [15] [16] [17] The availability of illegal guns, but not that of legal guns, is associated with higher rates of violent crime. [18]
An international study by UNICRI researchers from 2001 examined the link between household gun ownership and overall homicide, overall suicide, as well as gun homicide and gun suicide rates amongst 21 countries. Significant correlations between household gun ownership and rates of gun suicides for both genders, and gun homicide rates involving female victims were found. There were no significant correlations detected for total homicide and suicide rates, as well as gun homicide rates involving male victims. [19] This study has been criticized for combining high-income countries (like the United States) with middle-income countries (like Estonia); if middle-income countries are excluded from the analysis, a strong relationship emerges between gun ownership and homicide. [20] However the Hemenway study has been criticized in response as well. When removing the United States as an outlier and using the superior proxy of gun ownership in the study (percentage of firearm suicides over all suicides), the relationship ceases to be significant. The association between gun ownership and homicide rates across nations is dependent on the inclusion of the U.S. [21] Studies in Canada that examined the levels of gun ownership by province have found no correlations with provincial overall suicide rates. [22] A 2011 study conducted looking at the effects of gun control legislation passed in Canada and the associated effects in homicide rates found no significant reductions in homicide rates as a result of legislation. [23] A case-control study conducted in New Zealand looking at household gun ownership and the risk of suicides found no significant associations. [24]
Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.
More Guns, Less Crime is a book by John R. Lott Jr. that says violent crime rates go down when states pass "shall issue" concealed carry laws. He presents the results of his statistical analysis of crime data for every county in the United States during 29 years from 1977 to 2005. Each edition of the book was refereed by the University of Chicago Press. As of 2019, the book is no longer published by the University of Chicago Press. The book examines city, county and state level data from the entire United States and measures the impact of 13 different types of gun control laws on crime rates. The book expands on an earlier study published in 1997 by Lott and his co-author David Mustard in The Journal of Legal Studies and by Lott and his co-author John Whitley in The Journal of Law and Economics, October 2001.
The right to keep and bear arms is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, as well as hunting and sporting activities. Countries that guarantee the right to keep and bear arms include Albania, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Ukraine, Mexico, the United States, Yemen, and Switzerland.
Arthur L. Kellermann is an American physician and epidemiologist. Until his resignation in November 2022, he served as a professor of emergency medicine at the VCU School of Medicine, senior vice president of health sciences for Virginia Commonwealth University, and CEO of the VCU Health System. He was formerly professor and dean of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Kellerman served as director of the RAND Institute of Health and founded the department of emergency medicine at Emory University and the Center for Injury Control at Rollins School of Public Health. His writings include 200 publications on various aspects of emergency cardiac care, health services research, injury prevention and the role of emergency departments in providing health care to the poor. Kellermann is known for his research on the epidemiology of firearm-related injuries and deaths, which he interpreted not as random, unavoidable acts but as preventable public-health priorities. Kellermann and his research have been strongly disputed by gun rights organizations, in particular by the National Rifle Association of America, although Kellermann's findings have been supported by a large body of peer-reviewed research finding that increasing gun ownership is associated with increased rates of homicide and violence.
Gary Kleck is a criminologist and the David J. Bordua Professor Emeritus of Criminology at Florida State University.
Gun laws in Australia are predominantly within the jurisdiction of Australian states and territories, with the importation of guns regulated by the federal government. In the last two decades of the 20th century, following several high-profile killing sprees, the federal government coordinated more restrictive firearms legislation with all state governments.
Gun politics is defined in the United States by two primary opposing ideologies concerning the private ownership of firearms. Those who advocate for gun control support increasingly restrictive regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose increased restriction, or support the liberalization of gun ownership. These groups typically disagree on the interpretation of the text, history and tradition of the laws and judicial opinions concerning gun ownership in the United States and the meaning of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. American gun politics involves these groups' further disagreement concerning the role of firearms in public safety, the studied effects of ownership of firearms on public health and safety, and the role of guns in national and state crime.
A suicide method is any means by which a person may choose to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a non-fatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brain damage.
Gun violence is a term of political, economic and sociological interest referring to the tens of thousands of annual firearms-related deaths and injuries occurring in the United States. In 2022, up to 100 daily fatalities and hundreds of daily injuries were attributable to gun violence in the United States. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics reported 38,390 deaths by firearm, of which 24,432 were suicides. The national rate of firearm deaths rose from 10.3 people for every 100,000 in 1999 to 11.9 people per 100,000 in 2018, equating to over 109 daily deaths. In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S. In 2010, 358 murders were reported involving a rifle while 6,009 were reported involving a handgun; another 1,939 were reported with an unspecified type of firearm. In 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent crimes were committed with a firearm.
Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and suicide, or attempted suicide, depending on jurisdiction. Non-criminal violence includes accidental or unintentional injury and death. Also generally included in gun violence statistics are military or para-military activities.
This is a list of US states by gun deaths and rates of violence. In 2021, there were 26,000 gun suicides and 21,000 gun homicides, together making up a sixth of deaths from external causes. Gun deaths make up about half of all suicides, but over 80% of homicides.
The State of Texas is considered to have some of the most relaxed gun laws in the United States. Public concerns over gun control in Texas have increased in recent years as Mexican drug cartels continue to commit violent crimes closer to Texas' stretch of the Mexico–United States border. They have also increased due to the number of incidents, including misuse of firearms stolen from other sources.
The Small Arms Survey (SAS) is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. It provides information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, as a resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists, as well as research on small arms issues.
Defensive gun use (DGU) is the use or presentation of a firearm for self-defense, defense of others or, in some cases, protecting property. The frequency of incidents involving DGU and their effectiveness in providing safety and reducing crime are controversial issues in gun politics and criminology, chiefly in the United States. Different authors and studies employ different criteria for what constitutes a defensive gun use which leads to controversy in comparing statistical results. Perceptions of defensive gun use are recurring themes in discussions over gun rights, gun control, armed police, open and concealed carry of firearms.
Proposals for universal background checks would require almost all firearms transactions in the United States to be recorded and go through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), closing what is sometimes called the private sale exemption. Universal background checks are not required by U.S. federal law, but at least 21 states and the District of Columbia currently require background checks for at least some private sales of firearms.
David McDowall is an American criminologist and distinguished teaching professor in the School of Criminal Justice at University at Albany, SUNY, where he is also co-director of the Violence Research Group. Educated at Portland State University and Northwestern University, he taught at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1990 until joining the University at Albany in 1996. He has published a number of studies pertaining to gun violence in the United States.
The National Firearms Agreement (NFA), also sometimes called the National Agreement on Firearms, the National Firearms Agreement and Buyback Program, or the Nationwide Agreement on Firearms, was an agreement concerning firearm control made by Australasian Police Ministers' Council (APMC) in 1996, in response to the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people. Four days after the killings, Australian Prime Minister John Howard told Parliament “We need to achieve a total prohibition on the ownership, possession, sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic weapons. That will be the essence of the proposal that will be put by the Commonwealth government at the meeting on Friday...". The laws to give effect to the Agreement were passed by Australian State governments only 12 days after the Port Arthur massacre.
A child access prevention law makes it illegal for an adult to keep a gun in a place and manner so that a child can easily access and fire it. Proponents of these laws, such as the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States, argue that they are effective at reducing accidental gun deaths among children, since they reduce accessibility and thereby risk. The National Rifle Association of America has lobbied against such laws, arguing that they are ineffective and infringe on the rights of gun owners to protect their homes.
Mass shootings are incidents involving multiple victims of firearm related violence. Definitions vary, with no single, broadly accepted definition. One definition is an act of public firearm violence—excluding gang killings, domestic violence, or terrorist acts sponsored by an organization—in which a shooter kills at least four victims. Using this definition, a 2016 study found that nearly one-third of the world's public mass shootings between 1966 and 2012 occurred in the United States, In 2017 The New York Times recorded the same total of mass shootings for that span of years. A 2023 report published in JAMA covering 2014 to 2022, found there had been 4,011 mass shootings in the US, most frequent around the southeastern U.S. and Illinois. This was true for mass shootings that were crime-violence, social-violence, and domestic violence-related. The highest rate was found in the District of Columbia, followed by Louisiana and Illinois.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)CNN's attribution: Developed countries are defined based on the UN classification, which includes 36 countries. Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (Global Burden of Disease 2019), Small Arms Survey (Civilian Firearm Holdings 2017)
The number of deaths per 100,000 total population. Source: wonder.cdc.gov● Household firearm ownership data from Schell, Terry L.; Peterson, Samuel; Vegetabile, Brian G.; Scherling, Adam; Smart, Rosanna; Morral, Andrew R. (April 22, 2020). "State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership". rand.org. RAND Corporation. p. 21. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Fig. 2. PDF file (download link)
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