According to the Gun Violence Archive, the number of people killed by gun violence in 2023 has reached a historic level of 47,167 people. To put this into perspective, a city the size of Westfield, Indiana would be gone.
And of those who have died, 1306 were teens and 276 were children. The deaths by suicide have made up the majority of these deaths to date. The sad statistic: A suicide by gun happens 66 times every day in 2023.
It's common knowledge amongst news agencies that few will disclose a suicide to the public in fear of spreading to other people. You rarely hear about people jumping from bridges or tall buildings anymore.
The killed-by-cop statistic is at 1344 people. In that, 46 Police Officers were shot dead in the line of duty in 2023.
The unintentional or 'accidental' shootings are at 1472. These include people who have a low level of knowledge about firearm safety: Holding a gun at someone - even accidentally, is a huge no-no. Proper firearm handling is essential at all times.
By far the biggest headline grabber is mass shootings: 632 of them happened in 2023 so far. When the mass shooting happened in Lewiston, Maine, another 18 people were murdered and 13 injured became added to the list.
The saddest fact is the U.S. has surpassed the 39,000 gun deaths every year since 2014. And although President Biden signed into law the Gun Safety Package - and passed by Congress - not much has changed.
They say that guns don't kill people, but people do. This is true, because it requires a person to pull the trigger. However, the fact is the United States of America suffers from one of the highest death tolls in the world from guns.
Chanting the mantra 'thoughts and prayers' are hollow moments for people. The Sandy Hook Shooting, The Las Vegas concert massacre, and the awful Norway shooting on the island which killed almost 100 children.
The real question is: When will this madness stop? Are we doomed to fail?
Only time will tell.
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