Guns killed 830 people in Wisconsin in 2022, study finds • Wisconsin Examiner

Accordingly, guns claimed the lives of 830 Wisconsin residents in 2022 Gun deaths in Wisconsina new joint report from the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) Educational Fund, the state’s leading gun violence prevention organization, and the Violence Policy Center (VPC), a national research and advocacy organization committed to preventing deaths and Injuries caused by firearms occur.

The study was released as part of the Emergency Gun Violence Summit held Thursday at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. It analyzes federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data on fatal gun violence in the state and compares gun death data from Wisconsin to other Great Lakes states.

The study provides annual trend analyzes by gender, age, race and ethnicity for suicides and firearm homicides.

It also examines firearm suicides and homicides in urban and rural areas and presents firearm crime trail data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The report also presents personal stories from Wisconsin residents affected by deadly gun violence.

“This report highlights the toll of gun violence on Wisconsin communities and the inequities that must be addressed,” said Nick Matuszewski, director of policy and programs at the WAVE Educational Fund. “WAVE is committed to making necessary changes to protect every Wisconsin resident. Research shows that policies such as universal background checks and extreme risk laws are effective in reducing gun violence. By prioritizing these actions, we can create safer environments and protect our communities from the impacts of gun-related incidents.”

“Effective public policy relies on comprehensive, reliable data not only to identify threats to public health but also to find effective solutions,” said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center. “This annual study is another tool for advocates, organizations and policymakers working to reduce gun violence in Wisconsin.”

Insights into gun deaths in Wisconsin:

• Guns claimed the lives of 830 Wisconsin residents in 2022, including 529 gun suicides and 277 gun homicides. In 2022, firearms were used in 57.3% (529 of 924) of suicides and 84.7% (277 of 327) of homicides. In both suicides and homicides, most victims were male. While the state’s overall suicide and firearm-suicide rates were similar to national rates, both homicide and firearm-suicide rates were lower than national rates.
• Black residents of Wisconsin are disproportionately affected by deadly gun violence. While Black residents make up only 6.3% of Wisconsin’s population, 75.5% of firearm homicide victims were Black, with the Black firearm homicide victimization rate increasing from 23.0 per 100,000 in 2019 to 55.9 per 100,000 more than doubled in 2022 They are more likely to die from firearm homicides than white residents. And while Wisconsin’s white population has historically had the highest firearm suicide rate in the state, the Black population surpassed that troubling figure in 2022. Between 2018 and 2022, the firearm suicide rate for Black Wisconsin residents more than tripled – from 3, 0 per year 100,000 to 9.4 per 100,000.
• Most gun deaths in rural Wisconsin are suicides, not murders. Suicides increased from 81% of all rural firearm deaths in 2018 to 91% of all rural firearm deaths in 2022. During the same period, the rural firearm suicide rate increased from 8.1 per 100,000 to 11.4 per 100,000.
• As of 2020, the number of people killed by firearms statewide has exceeded the number of people killed by motor vehicles. This is a shocking fact considering most people are exposed to motor vehicles, not firearms, on a daily basis.
• In homicides where the relationship between victim and perpetrator could be identified, 76.8% of homicide victims in Wisconsin were killed by someone they knew (162 of 211).
• Of the homicides for which the circumstances were known, 80% (184 of 230) were not related to the commission of another crime – 41.3% (76 homicides) involved a dispute between the victim and the perpetrator.
• According to the ATF, more than 8,000 firearms were recovered and traced in Wisconsin in 2022. Almost all of the weapons recovered and traced were handguns – 79.8% were pistols and 6% were revolvers. Additionally, the vast majority of firearms seized in Wisconsin (84.5%) originally came from the state.

The report also cites WAVE’s recommended gun violence prevention policies for the state, as well as its recent policy successes.

The Center for the Politics of Violence is a national educational organization dedicated to preventing firearm deaths and injuries.

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund (WAVE) is a national grassroots organization working to prevent gun violence, injuries and deaths through education and advocacy.