Guns Kill More Than Cars Do... And It Is Getting Worse

This chart was released along with some analysis from ThinkProgress showing that gun deaths are surpassing, this year, auto deaths for the leading cause of death in people under 26. In 12 states guns already kill more people than cars that has been true since 2010, when you simply look at raw numbers the story becomes even bleaker. Account for the fact that 90% of all US household interact daily with a car, but only 30% interact with a gun your odds of being killed by a car is far greater than being killed by a gun. Yet this chart below shows the opposite for people in the  15-24 year old co-hort. For them being killed by guns is the leading cause of death. 

The study from The American Center for Progress, Young Guns: How Gun Violence is Devastating the Millennial Generation shows a stark reminder that guns are the leading cause of death among young people. In fact the situation is getting worse. 

Overall, there were 31,672 firearm deaths in 2010 and 35,498 motor vehicle deaths. Compare these numbers to 1999, when there were 28,874 firearm deaths and 42,624 motor vehicle deaths. This is an upward trend. In the same eleven year period that guns became more dangerous cars became safer, killed less drivers. Why? The introduction of seat belt laws, DUI enforcement measures, speed limit implementation and enforcement, and regulatory safety checks on vehicle performance all played a heavy factor in the reduction of auto deaths. None of these policies were a single silver bullet that has pulled down the auto deaths, but in combination they reduced the numbers over time. What have we done in the same 11 year period to curb the gun violence problem? Hardly anything. 

The Center for American Progress report on guns highlights the large economic impact gun violence takes on the social, economic, and political landscape of our culture. 

More than 1 million years of potential life are lost due to gun deaths each year. These are years of life that young people killed by guns would have achieved educational milestones, entered the workforce, had families, and contributed to the social, economic, and cultural advancement of society in untold ways—all erased by gunfire.