2021 US firearm homicide and suicide rates were highest since 1990s

 

2021 US firearm homicide and suicide rates were highest since 1990s

 

US firearm homicide and suicide rates each increased by more than 8% from 2020 to 2021, according to data published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.   CDC researchers estimated that there were over 20,000 firearm homicides and over 26,000 firearm suicides in the United States in 2021.   The firearm homicide rate was 8.3% higher in 2021 than it was in 2020. There were increases among men and women, and the highest rate tended to be among 25- to 44-year-olds. All racial and ethnic populations in that age group saw increases, and non-Hispanic Black or African American people continued to have the highest firearm homicide rates for every age.   Firearm suicide rates among people 10 and older also increased by 8.3% from 2020 to 2021. American Indian or Alaska Native people had the highest firearm suicide rates for people under the age of 45. For those 45 and older, White people had the highest rates.   The percentage of homicides attributed to firearm injuries rose from 79% in 2020 to 81% in 2021, the highest in more than 50 years. For suicides attributable to firearm injuries, the percentage rose from 53% in 2020 to 55% in 2021, the highest since 2001.   “The overall U.S. firearm homicide and firearm suicide rates in 2021 were the highest documented since 1993 and 1990, respectively,” the report says. “Some racial and ethnic groups experienced substantially higher rates in 2021, and among some groups, disparities continued to widen.”   The researchers note that the analysis can’t explain the reasons for increases, but there are “multiple” social and structural conditions that are associated with the risks.   “Systemic inequities (e.g., in economic, educational, housing, and employment opportunities) and structural racism have contributed to disparities in outcomes, and the COVID-19 pandemic could have worsened these conditions, especially in some racial and ethnic communities,” the report says.