For Release: Thursday, October 17, 2024
Study released during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October
Washington, DC — Members of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) community are disproportionately impacted by firearm violence according to a new study from the Violence Policy Center (VPC). The study, American Indian/Alaska Native Victims of Lethal Firearm Violence in the United States, was released today during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
Analyzing 2022 data (the most recent available) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the study’s findings include:
- In 2022, there were 596 gun deaths in the AI/AN population (265 of which were homicides and 275 were suicides). Rates of both firearm homicide and firearm suicide have been increasing in this population in recent years. Males accounted for the vast majority of both homicide victims (78.4%) and firearm homicide victims (81.5%).
- Compared to other racial groups, the AI/AN population has had the second highest rates of homicide and firearm homicide in the nation since 2018, surpassed only by the Black population.
- In 2022, those in the AI/AN community were more than twice as likely to die by homicide or firearm homicide compared to the white population.
- VPC research shows that since 2015 the rate of female AI/AN victims killed by men is second highest in the nation and has increased more substantially compared to other races in recent years.
- While rates of firearm homicides have increased for both male and female AI/AN victims, the rate has increased more drastically among males, from 3.9 per 100,000 in 2013 to 9.7 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Previously exceeded only by the white population, overall suicide rates in the AI/AN population have surpassed those of the white population and now have the highest rates of all races. Firearm suicide rates in the AI/AN population remain the second highest and have increased in recent years.
- In 2022, males accounted for the vast majority of suicide victims (72.9%) as well as firearm suicide victims (86.9%).
- While rates of firearm suicide have remained relatively stable among AI/AN females, rates have increased for male victims in recent years, from 6.8 per 100,000 in 2019 to 10.9 per 100,000 in 2022.
“Studies like this are vital to improving our understanding of how fatal gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color. This study looks specifically at the American Indian/Alaska Native population. Highlighting these disparities is essential to informing advocates, organizations, and policymakers and helping identify effective policies to reduce firearm violence in this community,” states Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center.
The study warns that the number of AI/AN females killed by guns is most likely undercounted due to the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), with experts believing that there are numerous unreported or misclassified deaths among AI/AN females than are currently reported. In addition, significant race misclassification exists in mortality data for the AI/AN community.
To view the full report, please visit:
https://vpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AIAN2024.pdf.
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The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
