Racial Disparities in Gun-Related Violence

This study quantified differences between African Americans and Whites in morbidity, mortality, and years of productive life lost (YPLL) arising from gun violence, using standard life table data and mortality data from the Center for Disease Control.  The population studied consisted of African Americans and Whites of all ages who died in 2010 of gun-related homicides.

Results revealed major disparities between African Americans and Whites for both gun-related morbidity and mortality (homicide).  In 2010, the gun-related homicide rate for African Americans (14.62 per 100,000) was nearly 8 times higher than that of Whites (1.89 per 100,000).  In 2010, African American men had a gun-related homicide rate of 27.6 per 100,000 (26.9 – 28.4) while the rate of White men was 2.9 per 100,000 (2.8 – 3.0; p< .001). We also found large disparities in gun-related YPLL.  Large disparities persist in states with both high and low gun-related mortality rates, indicating racial disparities are not limited to states with high overall gun-related mortality.  Whereas African Americans comprise 13% of the nation’s population, they accounted for 57% of YPLL due to gun-related homicide in 2010. 

Health care organizations, associations and professional groups have been relatively silent on the issue of gun violence.  These actors need to become more forceful advocates for policies that will reduce gun violence. .  If successful, such advocacy may have an especially positive effect for the African American population that bears a greatly disproportionate share of the burden of gun violence.