The Trace, known for investigating and reporting on gun violence in America, explored this issue upon a reader request recently. Findings indicate that although the United States accounts for just four percent of the global population, its gun homicide rate is “more than double the average for all countries.” Further, our country is “responsible for more than a third of the world’s firearm suicides.”

Their report compared data from 2018 and other years since then, including 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic when gun sales soared in the U.S. The report further states “According to the researchers, an extraordinarily high rate of gun ownership in the U.S. has contributed to the prevalence of violence here.”