Brady Calls For Action Following 2020 CDC Data Showing Highest Gun Death Rate Recorded

Washington, D.C., December 17, 2021 - Today, Brady calls for immediate action to address surging gun violence across the United States, as highlighted by newly released data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that 45,247 Americans died from gun violence last year, marking the highest rate of gun death the nation has seen. This data confirms what we have heard anecdotally, that years of inaction in preventing gun violence, compounded with the coronavirus pandemic, led to devastatingly elevated levels of gun violence nationwide.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“This data reveals what police departments, mayors, governors, and every day families and communities have said for over a year: the coronavirus pandemic inflamed the uniquely American epidemic of gun violence. This is a crisis. And, it’s one that demands action. President Biden has taken swift and tangible steps to prevent gun violence, more than any other president in modern history in their first year in office. But, we need continued and sustained attention from the White House. Brady reiterates our call for President Biden to support eliminating the filibuster for gun violence legislation.

The Senate must act, as well. They must pass both H.R.8 and H.R.1446, to expand and strengthen Brady background checks and address the Charleston loophole. The Senate must also pass President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, which includes $5 billion for community violence intervention programs, arguably the largest investment in gun violence prevention ever.”

About this Data:

The CDC’s Provisional Multiple Cause of Death database reports mortality and population counts for all U.S. counties based on death certificates for U.S. residents. In 2020, the CDC reports that 45,247 died from gun violence in all of its forms, a rate of 13.7 per 100,000 based on the U.S. population of 329,484,123. This is the highest rate of death from gun violence reported since the CDC and federal government began reliably tracking such data.