Giffords Responds to New CDC Data for 2017 Showing Number of Americans Dying from Gunshots Rose for the Third Year in a Row  

 Last year 109 people were killed by guns every single day 

December 10, 2018— Giffords , the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Captain Mark Kelly, responded to new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that in 2017 the number of people dying from gun violence rose for the third year in a row. The year saw a number of high profile mass shootings—from Las Vegas, Nevada to Sutherland Springs, Texas—but the newly released data underscores the toll daily gun violence takes on the safety and wellbeing of neighborhoods across the country. According to the CDC, 39,773 Americans died from gun violence last year, meaning that nearly 109 people were killed by guns each day.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords:

“This data from the CDC reminds us how many lives our gun violence crisis alters every year – and why so many Americans are rising up to demand action. It’s unacceptable that the number of deaths from shootings keeps escalating while Washington DC refuses to even debate policies we know would help save lives. But activism leads to change and come January, more gun safety champions will be joining Congress and making this public health problem a priority.”

Key findings from the CDC’s report include:

1. In 2017, there were 39,773 gun deaths—meaning that nearly 109 people were killed by guns each day.
2. America’s firearm death rate rose for the third year in a row, after remaining relatively stable for more than a decade.
3. For many years, car crash deaths far outpaced gun deaths, though the gap has narrowed in recent years. While gun deaths outpaced car crash deaths in 2015 and 2016, 2017 represents the first year that gun deaths outpaced car crashes by more than 1,000 deaths.
4. In 2017, the gun suicide rate rose to its highest level since the late 1990s. Gun suicides accounted for 60% of all gun deaths in 2017.
5. Firearm homicides and assaults have risen precipitously in the last few years, and these increases have hurt underserved communities of color particularly hard. In 2017, black men made up less than 7% of the population, but accounted for more than half of gun homicide victims.
6. Gun suicides and homicides are a leading cause of injury death for Americans at nearly every age. In 2017, more than 9 children and teens (0-19) were killed each day.

###

  Giffords is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, Giffords inspires the courage of people from all walks of life to make America safer.