North Raleigh Today

Gun deaths have been on the rise in the U.S., and now the death toll from guns has surpassed fatalities from motor vehicle accidents.

A study published in the medical journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open found that “predominant populations that are affected by firearm deaths are older, white males, secondary to suicide, and younger black males, secondary to homicide.”

“This is simply unacceptable and incredibly tragic,” Becky Ceartas, the executive director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, told Newsbreak. “It’s tragic for the lives lost and also knowing this is preventable.”

Some politicians from both parties want there to be more action for gun safety.

“Our communities don’t need studies. They need action,” Del. Tony Wilt, (R-Rockingham) said during a debate on the Virginia House floor, according to NBC 12. “They’re crying for action.”

In the last few years, deaths involving guns have become the leading cause of premature deaths due to trauma.

“It’s always, gun violence happens elsewhere... that’s not our place, that’s elsewhere -- but, no, that’s here. It’s in every community now,” Tony Cope, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, told Newsbreak.

The U.S. doesn't utilize measures to curb firearm deaths the way it has done to successfully curb car crashes, like licenses, investing in research and issuing regulations.

Data also found the younger population is more affected by gun deaths.

"In North Carolina, guns were responsible for 69% of the homicides reported to the FBI in 2020, the latest available data," according to Newsbreak. "Sixty percent of homicide offenders were younger than 30 years old and 47% of the victims. Data submitted to the FBI from the Raleigh Police Department and the Fayetteville Police Department show a majority of homicide victims in 2020 were under 30 years old. In Raleigh, a third of victims were younger than 30 years old."