Gun deaths have now risen for a third straight year, after more than a decade with little statistical fluctuation. The 2017 rate of 12.2 firearm deaths per 100,000 people was the highest since 1996, when it was 12.8 per 100,000. The 2017 increase in gun deaths was driven largely by rising suicides, which reached a total of 23,854, or around 60 percent of all gun deaths. The new data also shows that 2017 was the third straight year in which gun deaths outpaced traffic fatalities. Still, the new CDC figures show why so many Americans are rallying around the cause of gun violence prevention, as demonstrated by midterm election victories by candidates favoring gun reform, Giffords said.

Source: Huffington Post December 11, 2018 18:10 UTC