Here’s a look at some stats on guns — the deaths and school shootings, America’s public opinion and the failed Congressional attempt to take action — in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 27 people, including 20 children and the shooter.
The Victims
Slate editors note in the introduction to their crowdsourced map that attempts to visualize gun deaths in the US (pictured below), determining the actual number of gun deaths each year is “surprisingly hard.” That’s because as many as 60 percent of gun deaths are suicides that usually go unreported by the press.
Number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death, between Newtown and December 2013 (that have been reported by the media): 12,042
Number of people killed by guns so far in 2014: 4,772
Estimated real number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death since Newtown (using most recent CDC estimates for yearly data): 51,158
Total gun deaths in 2010 (the latest year for which the CDC posts data): 31,672
number of those who were children or teens: 2,700
Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA – several were injured and six people were killed: Marcela Dia Franco, 26, Carlos Navarro Franco, 68, Margarita Gomez, 68, John Zawahri (the shooter), 23, Samir Zawahri (the shooter’s father), 55, and Christopher Zawahri (the shooter’s brother), 24.
Sparks Middle School, Sparks, NV – two were injured and Mike Landsberry, a teacher and Afghanistan veteran, was killed. The shooter, 12-year-old Jose Reyes, killed himself.
D.H. Conley High School, Greenville, NC – Two students from another high school fired shots into the school while it was in session. No one was injured.
University of California, Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, CA – Cheng Yuan Hong, 20, George Chen, 19, Weihan Wang, 20, Katherine Cooper, 22, Veronika Weiss, 19, and Christopher Michaels-Martinez, 20, were killed. Elliot Rodger, 22, the gunman, killed himself. Many other students were injured.
June 5, 2014 –
Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington – one 19-year-old student was killed, two others were injured.
June 10, 2014 –
Reynolds High School, Troutdale, OR – one student and the shooter were killed (developing story…)
Note on methodology: In the above list, we sought to give a conservative count. Some lists, like the one on Wikipedia and the one at Everytown For Gun Safety, include shootings that we do not. Our list includes incidents that happened wholly or partially on a school campus while students or staff were there. Our list does not include incidents of law enforcement officers responding with gunfire to a student with a non-firearm weapon, (e.g., if police shoot at a student who is threatening others with a knife). Our list also excludes murders and suicides that did not involve students or staff but occurred on campus while students and staff were not in the building.
Total spent by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the largest gun control organization (2011): $2,844,489
The Polls
Percentage of Americans that in March 2013 supported an assault weapons ban:57
and in December 2013: 48
Percentage of Americans that in March 2013 supported background checks for all gun purchases: 91
and in December 2013: 77
The Vote
On April 17th, 2013, the Senate defeated several gun control measures, including the overwhelmingly popular proposal to expand background checks for firearms purchases. Here’s how each senator voted on the bipartisan proposal by Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA) that would have expanded background checks to online sales and sales at gun shows. The measure needed 60 votes to pass.
Yes Votes (54)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
Thomas R. Carper (D-DE)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)
William Cowan (D-MA)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Angus King (I-ME)
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Joe Manchin III (D-WV)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
No Votes (46)
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Richard M. Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Daniel Coats (R-IN)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael D. Crapo (R-ID)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
James M. Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Harry Reid (D-NV)*
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard C. Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Since Newtown, no fewer than 114 bills were signed into law at the state level, according to an article in Mother Jones. In 22 states, new laws were created to curb gun violence. In 29 states, new laws were enacted making it easier for people to own guns, carry guns in public places and make it more difficult for the government to track guns. See an analysis of gun laws in your state and how it compares to others.
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Gun violence since Newtown
15 Jul 2014 at 08:27 ET
This story first appeared at BillMoyers.com
Here’s a look at some stats on guns — the deaths and school shootings, America’s public opinion and the failed Congressional attempt to take action — in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 27 people, including 20 children and the shooter.
The Victims
Slate editors note in the introduction to their crowdsourced map that attempts to visualize gun deaths in the US (pictured below), determining the actual number of gun deaths each year is “surprisingly hard.” That’s because as many as 60 percent of gun deaths are suicides that usually go unreported by the press.
Click to see the interactive, crowdsourced map visualizing reported gun deaths since Newtown, from Slate.
Number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death, between Newtown and December 2013 (that have been reported by the media): 12,042
Number of people killed by guns so far in 2014: 4,772
Estimated real number of people killed by guns, including homicide, suicide and accidental death since Newtown (using most recent CDC estimates for yearly data): 51,158
Total gun deaths in 2010 (the latest year for which the CDC posts data): 31,672
number of those who were children or teens: 2,700
Number of school shootings since Newtown: 79*
Note on methodology: In the above list, we sought to give a conservative count. Some lists, like the one on Wikipedia and the one at Everytown For Gun Safety, include shootings that we do not. Our list includes incidents that happened wholly or partially on a school campus while students or staff were there. Our list does not include incidents of law enforcement officers responding with gunfire to a student with a non-firearm weapon, (e.g., if police shoot at a student who is threatening others with a knife). Our list also excludes murders and suicides that did not involve students or staff but occurred on campus while students and staff were not in the building.
(Mother Jones collected portraits and analyzed information on close to 200 children who have died from guns since Newtown) »
The Guns
Number of guns in the US: 310,000,000
Number of guns per person: About one gun for every American
Countries with more guns per person: None
Runner up: Yemen, with about 11 guns for every 20 Yemenis
Percentage of Americans with a gun in their home: 42
State with the highest rate of gun ownership: Wyoming, 61 percent
State with the lowest rate of gun ownership: New Jersey, 10 percent
Number of licensed firearms dealers in the US: 134,997
Number of grocery stores in the US: 37,053
The Money
Total spent by the NRA (2011): $231,071,589
Total spent by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the largest gun control organization (2011): $2,844,489
The Polls
Percentage of Americans that in March 2013 supported an assault weapons ban:57
and in December 2013: 48
Percentage of Americans that in March 2013 supported background checks for all gun purchases: 91
and in December 2013: 77
The Vote
On April 17th, 2013, the Senate defeated several gun control measures, including the overwhelmingly popular proposal to expand background checks for firearms purchases. Here’s how each senator voted on the bipartisan proposal by Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA) that would have expanded background checks to online sales and sales at gun shows. The measure needed 60 votes to pass.
Yes Votes (54)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)
Thomas R. Carper (D-DE)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)
William Cowan (D-MA)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Angus King (I-ME)
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Joe Manchin III (D-WV)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
No Votes (46)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Richard M. Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Daniel Coats (R-IN)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael D. Crapo (R-ID)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
James M. Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Harry Reid (D-NV)*
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard C. Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)
*Reid voted no for procedural reasons.
The State Laws
Since Newtown, no fewer than 114 bills were signed into law at the state level, according to an article in Mother Jones. In 22 states, new laws were created to curb gun violence. In 29 states, new laws were enacted making it easier for people to own guns, carry guns in public places and make it more difficult for the government to track guns. See an analysis of gun laws in your state and how it compares to others.
This story first appeared at BillMoyers.com
See all stories in this series:
Who gets shot in America: What I learned compiling records of carnage for the New York Times by Jennifer Mascia
Bearing the Unbearable, a series by photographer Sabree Hill
– The longshoreman whose death makes no sense to the ones he left behind
– Two friends gunned down together on a New Orleans porch, their mothers are now united in grief
– The interrupted meal that proved fatal for one college freshman
– The shot that took two years to kill its victim
10 states where guns are most likely, and least likely, to kill people by Steven Rosenfeld
I was the NRA by Tom Boggioni
Accused Texas gunman avoided bans despite a history of domestic violence by Travis Gettys
Five sexy products that let ladies conceal their guns and show off their bodies by Katie Halper
Gun problem? What gun problem? by Tony Ortega
Gun violence since Newtown by Moyers & Company
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