Half of Americans in a Pew Research Center poll said gun violence is “a very big problem” today, with 59 percent of non-gun-owners saying the same. Indeed, data from the FBI indicates an alarming 32 percent increase in the number of homicides committed with firearms from 2014 to 2016. read more
Even gun fatalities that don’t make the news – garden-variety homicides – have been increasing. Data released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of police chiefs in the country’s largest cities, found that homicides in the first three months of 2016 increased 9 percent to 1,365 over the same time period in 2015. read more
The Rise of Gun Violence. Americans are generally pessimistic about the direction of gun violence in America. Nearly half of Americans (47%) think gun violence will increase in the U.S. over the next ten years, while another 34% think the level of gun violence will stay about the same. Just 14% think gun violence will decrease. read more