Fact Check: "Suicides accounted for over half of all gun deaths in 2023."
What We Know
In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that suicides accounted for a significant portion of gun deaths in the United States. Specifically, a recent report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 58% of all firearm fatalities in 2023 were suicides, totaling 27,300 deaths by firearm suicide out of 46,728 total gun deaths (source). This trend of suicides making up the majority of gun deaths has been consistent since at least 1995 (source).
The total number of suicides in the U.S. for 2023 was reported as 49,316, with firearm suicides representing a substantial portion of these deaths (source). This data indicates that firearms were involved in a majority of suicide cases, underscoring the lethal nature of guns compared to other methods of suicide (source).
Analysis
The claim that "suicides accounted for over half of all gun deaths in 2023" is supported by multiple credible sources. The CDC's mortality data clearly delineates the causes of gun deaths, and the report from Johns Hopkins provides a comprehensive analysis of these statistics. The report's findings are based on official CDC data, which is a reliable source for public health statistics.
Moreover, the report emphasizes that gun suicides have reached record levels for three consecutive years, highlighting a growing public health crisis (source). The report also notes that gun-related suicides are particularly prevalent among certain demographics, including Black and Hispanic youth, which indicates a broader societal issue related to mental health and access to firearms (source).
The reliability of the sources is high, as they originate from reputable institutions like the CDC and Johns Hopkins University, both of which are recognized for their contributions to public health research. The data is derived from death certificates and is subject to rigorous verification processes, making it a credible basis for understanding trends in gun deaths.
Conclusion
Verdict: True. The claim that "suicides accounted for over half of all gun deaths in 2023" is accurate based on the available data. The statistics from the CDC and the Johns Hopkins report confirm that suicides represented 58% of all gun-related fatalities, thus validating the assertion.
