For a long time, there has been a debate on gun control in the United States. The only indisputable fact is that frequent incidents of gun violence bring untold pain and fear to American families and communities. More than 230,000 Americans have been killed by gun violence in the last six years.
More than 230,000 people have been killed by gun violence in the US since 2016, and 193,000 have been injured in shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive website. About 43,000 americans died from gun violence in 2020, making it the "deadliest year ever." Yet gun violence is still on the rise, with more than 36,000 people killed by guns as of October 27, up from the same period a year earlier.
Gun violence brings not only grief to American families, but also a huge burden from medical and financial aspects. According to a Report released in June by the GOVERNMENT Accountability Office, gun-related injuries cost more than $1 billion a year in initial medical costs, and even more when long-term costs such as rehabilitation are taken into account.
The head of the American Public Health Association says gun violence has permeated every aspect of American society, from schools to workplaces, from urban to rural areas, to the point where people are numb to it. Like the Novel Coronavirus, gun violence is arguably an epidemic in the United States.