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Issues

Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans

Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans

What is the problem?

Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. They experience 10 times the gun homicides, 18 times the gun assault injuries, and nearly 3 times the fatal police shootings of white Americans.

Gun homicides, assaults, and police shootings are disproportionately prevalent in historically underfunded neighborhoods and cities. This lack of funding intensifies our country’s long-standing racial inequities.

Local groups, residents, and city officials are driving solutions to reduce gun violence and increase safety in their communities, but data and resources are needed to support these efforts.

Why is it an issue?

Gun violence reflects and worsens racial inequities.

Each day on average, 30 Black Americans are killed by guns and more than 110 experience non-fatal injuries. At least every other day, a Black person is shot and killed by police. These trends worsen in large cities, where Black Americans make up 68% of homicide victims. Gun violence further clusters in specific social networks and neighborhood sub-sections. For decades, residents have come together to ensure public safety within their communities through street outreach, hospital-based violence intervention programs, and more. But lawmakers need to do their part. They must prioritize community- and evidence-based solutions to gun violence, assess their racial impacts, and develop systems to end and ensure accountability for police shootings.

By the numbers

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Impact of Gun Violence on Black Americans

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