March 28, 2024

Law

World's finest Law

The effects and extent of gun crimes

Image result for The effects and extent of gun crimes

Gun violence has taken a very significant toll on Americans at the cost of hundreds and even thousands of lives each year, with no less than 100 people getting killed each day.

A personal injury lawyer Virginia Beach VA is aware that over the last decade, more than 1.2 million Americans have lost their lives due to gun violence, with millions more being firsthand witnesses to gun-related crime and almost every American knows at least one victim of gun crime in their lifetime.

What constitutes gun violence?

It takes on several forms and it has anything to do with guns such as homicide, murder, accidental deaths, random shootings, suicides, and law enforcement activities.

Personal injury lawyers Virginia Beach believe that any effort to save the life of those involved in these incidents require effective solutions that are aimed to address each of these categories mentioned above.

Where is gun violence prevalent in the US?

The United States has been recorded with exceptionally high gun crime rates, higher than most high-income and developed countries around the world. 

According to a personal injury lawyer Virginia Beach VA, the reason for this is that America has the most number of guns reported at 393 million, but also has the weakest gun laws of any comparable nation.

While the US accounts for only 4% of the world’s population, it takes ownership of 35% of global firearm self-inflicted deaths and about 9% of firearm homicides in the world.

The state of Alaska has the highest percentage of gun violence and has the weakest gun laws in the US. There are 25 people killed with every 100,000 residents, while Hawaii has the lowest death rate with only two people killed for every 100,000 residents. 

Hawaii has also been known to have the strongest gun laws throughout the US.

The cost of gun violence in the US

Not only has gun violence taken its devastating toll on human lives, it also presented costly consequences for the economy as it has been estimated that the country loses no less than $229 billion a year, plus an additional cost of $8.6 billion in direct expenses.

These losses cover spending on medical expenses, law enforcement, lost income, moral damages, pain and suffering, and criminal justice costs. This cost is equivalent to around $700 for every American in the entire US nation. 

The effects of gun violence

Children are the most vulnerable in terms of the effects of gun violence, who suffer psychological and emotional distress. Studies have shown that children exposed to gun violence often experience negative short and long-term mental issues such as anger, withdrawal, post-traumatic stress, and desensitization to violence.

These outcomes could affect children as they grow and could impact their lives unless medical and therapeutic intervention are introduced and applied accordingly.