The figures come because the nation has been rocked by a spate of mass shootings
Gun violence is a number one explanation for untimely loss of life within the US. Now, in line with a brand new research, 1 / 4 of Individuals consider weapons are the primary public well being menace, Guardian reported. In keeping with a research carried out by Axios and the Ispos American Well being Index, 26% of Individuals consider entry to weapons is the highest menace to public well being. In the meantime, round 25% consider opioids and fentanyl are the highest concern.
”Entry to weapons and firearms is now thought-about one of many prime threats to public well being, alongside opioids and fentanyl. Since February, the variety of Individuals citing weapons as their prime concern has elevated considerably,” the research notes.
In February, solely 17% of Individuals cited gun entry as a prime concern. In three months, that quantity has elevated almost 10 share factors from 17 p.c to 26 p.c.
49% of Black Individuals, 50% of Democrats, and 31% of individuals dwelling in city areas cited firearm entry as their primary concern.
The figures come because the nation has been rocked by a spate of mass shootings. To this point, the US has witnessed greater than 200 mass shootings and greater than 16,000 firearm deaths, in line with information from the Gun Violence Archive.
Earlier this month, a gunman opened fireplace at a crowded mall exterior Dallas, killing a minimum of eight individuals and injuring a minimum of seven, as per BBC. Within the wake of the tragedy, President Joe Biden known as as soon as once more for Congress to tighten gun controls. Notably, most adults aged 21 or over in Texas are allowed to hold a handgun with out a licence, until they’ve a earlier conviction.
As per a report from Everytown Analysis & Coverage, the gun murder charge within the US is as much as 26 instances that of different high-income nations, and the gun suicide charge is sort of 12 instances larger.
The nation additionally skilled 648 mass shootings and 44,000 gun-related deaths final yr, illustrating the severity of the problem with weapons, in line with the Gun Violence Archive web site. The nation has extra weapons than individuals: one in three adults owns a minimum of one weapon and almost one in two adults lives in a house the place there’s a weapon.