During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency rooms were overwhelmed — and gunshot victims faced even greater peril than in ordinary times. Though that flashpoint has subsided, and the national conversation around urgent care has faded along with it, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that hospitals continue to face overwhelming odds in treating shooting victims. As The Trace’s Fairriona Magee reports, more than 93,0000 shooting injuries were treated in American hospitals from 2018 to 2023, averaging one firearm injury every half-hour.
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine last month, examined peak days of the year and times of day, information that could be essential in deploying care and effectively allocating resources, including trauma preparedness, ambulance services, hospital staffing, and strategies for intervention.
Perhaps most importantly, the study raises questions about the support and care of health care professionals who are forced to confront the gun violence crisis every day. Nearly four decades ago, physicians and nurses were among the first to recognize gun violence as a public health issue, and their firsthand accounts were pivotal in the development of the nation’s first hospital-based violence intervention programs.
Now, as hospital personnel adjust to the ever-evolving crisis, providers say creating structures that help address extreme burnout, vicarious trauma, and emotional well-being are more crucial than ever.
From The Trace
In a Brooklyn Neighborhood, Residents — Not Police — Take the Lead on Preventing Violence: For a week each quarter, 911 calls are routed to community violence interrupters. A new analysis found that police precincts with these programs saw a marked drop in shootings.
Every Half Hour, Someone Arrives at an ER With a Gunshot Wound, According to the CDC: A recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could help hospitals better treat firearm injuries — and support staff members.
What to Know Today
More than 2 million Americans have bought insurance coverage for shooting in self-defense, according to industry executives. Most policies cover shooting incidents, bail, criminal-defense lawyers, and the cost of litigating civil lawsuits brought by victims of the shootings. Some states have moved to restrict the sale of the coverage. [Wall Street Journal]
Could 2025 possibly feature the lowest murder rate ever recorded in the United States? The last record low murder rate in the United States was in 2014, when the FBI reported a rate of 4.45 per 100,000. Though there’s more than half of the year remaining, fluctuating data from the FBI shows we might be on track. [Jeff-alytics]
In April, under directives from the Trump administration, 373 grants were terminated within the Department of Justice. A closer look at the abrupt cancellations shows how these defunded grants, valued at $820 million, affected support for violence reduction; policing and prosecution; victims’ services; juvenile justice and child protection; substance use and mental health treatment; corrections and reentry; and gun violence prevention across the country. [Council on Criminal Justice]
An Indiana man was sentenced to four years in federal prison for illegally reselling more than 1,300 guns. In 2016, 52-year-old David Joseph Mull was served a cease-and-desist letter from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives which put him on notice in his attempt to apply for a federal firearms license to legally sell guns. He never got a license. His main customer, according to the Department of Justice, was involved in illegal gun trafficking across state lines, often to Mexico. [WHAS11]
Organizers in Massachusetts launched a campaign to help persuade voters in the state to retain a sweeping gun restrictions law passed last year. The law allows courts to take firearms from someone considered a threat to themselves or others, limits the presence of firearms in public spaces including schools and government buildings, and creates new strategies to hinder the flow of ghost guns. Gun rights advocates are trying to repeal the law, claiming that it’s an overreach of governmental powers. Voters will decide next year. [Boston Herald/NBC Boston]
Data Point
4,857,897 — the number of legally registered silencers in the United States [Campaign for Gun Industry Accountability]
Non-Sequitur
The Spirit Tunnel is unapologetic celebrity worship — and extremely fun
The Jennifer Hudson Show has made the Spirit Tunnel a backstage ritual and internet sensation. [NPR]
