Firearm Violence Facts

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort

GUN VIOLENCE IN WISCONSIN: THE FACTS

In 1999, more than 400 men, women, and children
were killed with firearms in Wisconsin.
· 270 were suicides
· 136 were homicides
· 12 died from unintentional shootings

In Wisconsin, gunfire killed more than 60 young people
ages 19 and under in 1999.

Approximately 60% of all murders in Wisconsin are
committed with guns.

In firearm homicides in southeastern Wisconsin (1994-1999),
more victims were killed by family members or friends than by strangers.

40% of female homicide victims in southeastern Wisconsin (1994-1999) were killed by their spouse or significant other.

Source for Wisconsin Facts: Firearm Injury Center, Firearm Injury Reporting System of Wisconsin: Third Annual Statistical Report, Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin. February, 2001.

GUN VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES: THE FACTS

In the United States, children under the age of 15 are 12 times more likely to die from gunfire than the children in 25 other industrialized countries combined!
Fingerhut, Cox, and Warner, "International Comparative Analysis of Injury Mortality." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. October 7, 1998.

In 1998, more than 30,000 men, women, and children were killed with firearms in the United States.
· 17,424 were suicides
· 12,102 were homicides
· 866 died from unintentional shootings
· 316 died in undetermined circumstances
Sherry L. Murphy. "Deaths: Final Data for 1998" Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 48, No. 11, July 24, 2000.

Gunfire kills more teenagers than all natural causes combined.
American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Violence, "The Role of the Pediatrician in Youth Violence Prevention in Clinical Practice and at the Community Level," Pediatrics, Vol. 103, No. 1, January 1999.

In 1999, nearly half of all murder victims were killed by
someone they knew such as a friend or family member
rather than a stranger.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States 2000: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), 2000.

Women are about twice as likely to be shot by their intimate partner than they are to be killed by strangers using guns, knives, or any other means.
Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH; James A. Mercy, PhD;
"Men, Women, and Murder; Gender-specific Differences in Rates of Fatal Violence and Victimization," The Journal of Trauma, Vol. 33, No. 1, July, 1992.

In the United States, approximately two-thirds of all murders are committed with guns.
Sherry L. Murphy. "Deaths: Final Data for 1998" Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 48, No. 11, July 24, 2000.

Gunfire killed 3,792 young people ages 19 and under in 1998.
Sherry L. Murphy. "Deaths: Final Data for 1998" Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 48, No. 11, July 24, 2000.

The annual cost of gun violence in America in terms of direct medical costs, lost productivity, and lost quality of life is $100 billion. Furthermore, through public health care and public debt, the taxpaying public pays an estimated 85%-96% of medical charges for firearm injuries.
Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, Gun Violence: The Real Costs, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000. G.J. Ordog, J. Wasserberger, G. Ackroyd. "Hospital Costs of Firearm Injuries." Journal of Trauma, February, 1995.