CGTN America
In a Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 photo, Terry Holcomb, Executive Director of Texas Carry happily displays his customized holster as he walks to the Capitol for a rally. Open Carry Texas and Texas Carry held a rally on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol in Austin to celebrate Texas becoming an open carry state. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
This month, a shooting at a Texas high school killed 10 people—another incident in an alarming trend in the United States: an increase in shooting deaths in schools.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there are already more people killed in school shootings in 2018 than in all of 2017. In 2017, 25 people were killed in elementary and secondary school shootings. Forty have been killed so far this year.
When ranked among the world’s leading economies, the United States leads in the rate of violent deaths involving a firearm—3.15 such deaths per 100,000 according to the latest 2016 data. The U.S. is trailed by Germany, then the UK, China and Japan.
Guns in the U.S. are big business—the influence of the National Rifle Association in the United States is notable. Spending by the gun rights lobbying group has increased steadily in recent years. In 2016, the NRA spent $3.19 million in lobbying, while in 2017, the group spent $5.12 million.
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Compared, however, to the most violent places on Earth—the United States is far from the top. According to 2016 statistics, El Salvador led with the highest rate of violent deaths caused by a firearm, followed by Venezuela, and Syria—amid a civil war.
You will find more infographics at Statista
