Gun homicides are a problem, but so are non-fatal gun injuries from assaults. Yet diving into that data shows the causes are likely the same. Take-aways Non-fatal gunshot wounds tend to skew to the same demographics as gun homicides. The data is likely an undercount due to the same factors. The Problem A lot of people get shot and don’t die. Estimates vary a bit, but between sources like Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) data and CDC “Fast Facts,” there are between 73,000 and 85,000 hospital emergency department visits for non-fatal gunshot injuries. On the high end, the Centers for Disease Control’s WISQARS website says there were 142,143 violence related non-fatal firearm injuries. But that’s just people who sought hospital medical attention. It does not include visits to urgent care, under-the-radar care (doctors with revoked licenses, veterinarians working on people, off-duty nurses, etc.). Let’s toss the outliers and just say … Continue reading →