US gun violence hit highest level since 1994
The year 2020 saw a historic increase in homicides in the US, which continued into 2021.
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Firearms were used in 79 percent of homicides.
The firearm homicide rate in the United States reached its highest level since 1994 during the first year of the Covid pandemic, with significant racial and class disparities, according to a CDC report released Tuesday.
The year 2020 saw a historic increase in homicides in the US, which continued into 2021.
Firearms were used in 79 percent of homicides and 53 percent of suicides in the United States in 2020.
The nation's firearm homicide rate increased 34.6 percent from 2019 to 2020.
Higher poverty levels saw larger increases, with racial and ethnic minorities more likely to live in communities with high surrounding poverty.
In 2020, counties with the highest poverty levels had 4.5 and 1.3 times higher rates of firearm homicide and suicide, respectively, than counties with the lowest poverty levels.
While overall firearm suicide rates remained "relatively unchanged" from 2019 to 2020, increasing only slightly.
According to the CDC, firearm homicides and suicides are a "persistent and significant" public health concern in the United States.
"Longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism have resulted in limited economic, housing, and educational opportunities associated with inequities in risk for violence and other health conditions among various racial and ethnic groups," the report said.
The study's findings "underscore the importance of comprehensive strategies that can stop the violence" by addressing underlying factors that contribute to homicide and suicide rates, such as economic and social inequalities that drive racial disparities in health outcomes, according to the report.
Policies that improve economic and household stability, such as child care subsidies and housing assistance, could be among them, as could community outreach programs.
