With every horrific mass shooting, the media and the politicians bring out the same tired facts and solutions. While research into gun violence has been deliberately dampened [1], there are studies that help us to characterize gun violence. As mythical police officer Sgt. Joe Friday said, “Just the facts, ma’am.”
homicide
To obtain a permit for a handgun in New York City, the applicant must provide written consent from those living with them that the presence of a gun is OK. Is that a good or bad requirement? A new study looks at homicide deaths among “cohabitants of handgun owners,” what could go wrong?
The game, Clue Master Detective, requires eight potential weapons. The CDC finds two are the most popular.
When we discuss our "gun violence" and "suicide" epidemics in this country, these statistics should help clarify where public health and safety resources are best spent. Suicide disproportionately affects whites, while homicide disproportionately affects blacks.
A recent report on expanding the use of science in suspected homicides details the challenges of determining time of death after a long post-mortem interval. Estimating this interval is essential within forensic science dating back to 1894, when body decay stages and decomposition were first defined.
Compared to the U.S. national average, the homicide rate was 54% lower for whites, 14% lower for Hispanics, and 267% higher for blacks. Put another way, the homicide rate among African-Americans is nearly quadruple that of the national average.
The Centers for Disease Control calculated that, on an average day, 103 Americans die in car accidents, 121 commit suicide and 49 are homicide fatalities. But that's the average day. As it turns out people die differently on Monday than they do on Saturday.
Overall, the average life expectancy in the United States is on the rise, and has been gradually increasing since 1990.