A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of 36 of the world’s richest nations revealed that the U.S. has the highest rate of gun fatalities. The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The U.S. had 14.24 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in 1994. This number includes all murders, suicides, and accidents in which a gun was used to kill. Brazil has the second-highest rate at 12.95 and Japan had the lowest rate at .05.
The United States’ 1994 gun deaths accounted for 45% of the total 88,649 gun deaths reported by 36 nations. Rebecca Peters of Johns Hopkins University commented, “If you have a country saturated with guns — available to people when they are intoxicated, angry or depressed– it’s not unusual guns will be used more often.”
