There were more than 43,000 gun deaths in 2020, which was the largest number in at least two decades, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that tracks gun violence data. The number of gun-related deaths, however, is expected to eclipse that record this year, with more than 24,000 gun fatalities already recorded in 2021.
Of the 24,000 individuals who have died from gun violence this year, more than 800 were under the age of 18, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Data shows that 174 of them were under 12 years old.
Some of the incidents on record for this year were mass shootings, which are defined as incidents where four or more people were injured or killed, not including the suspect, according to ABC News.
The Gun Violence Archive is reporting that 18 mass shootings have taken place in 12 cities in the U.S. this week alone, leaving 19 dead and 74 wounded.
Gun violence was prevalent throughout the U.S. this past week, with 47 states and the District of Columbia all being impacted by it.
Gun violence was seen most over the past week in Illinois, with 109 incidents, according to ABC News. Texas was next with 63 incidents, followed by Pennsylvania, California and New York, with 59, 52 and 48 incidents, respectively.
Texas, however, led the states in the most gun-related incidents that led to death, with 35 fatalities, according to ABC News.
Illinois reportedly saw the highest number of people wounded from a firearm, at 124 individuals.
July 18 was the worst day for gun violence in the U.S. last week, according to ABC News. Roughly 22 percent of all gun-related incidents occurred between midnight and 3 a.m.
Biden discussed the surge in gun violence at a town hall event last week. He called the idea that people need weapons that can fire up to 120 shots “ridiculous.”
“I'm continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things. But I'm not likely to get that done in the near term. So here's what I've done. The people who, in fact, are using those weapons are acquiring them illegally. Illegally. And so what happens is, I've gotten ATF out, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. I have them increase their budget and increase their capacity, along with the Justice Department, to go after the gun shops that are not abiding by the law of doing background checks,” Biden said.
He also said his administration is “going to do major investigations and shut those guys down and put some of them in jail for what they’re doing,” referring to shadow gun dealers and gun shops that do not follow the law.
Gun violence also includes suicide, which reportedly makes up 60 percent of adult firearm deaths, according to the Department of Justice, cited by ABC News.
There have been more than 13,500 gun-related suicides this year already, according to the Gun Violence Archive. In 2019, an average of 66 people per day reportedly died by suicide with a gun.
Alleged domestic disputes also reportedly account for a portion of gun violence incidents every year.