CDC says firearm-related homicides skyrocketed amid stresses of the pandemic

CDC says firearm-related homicides skyrocketed amid stresses of the pandemic

Transcript¹

The CDC reports a historic increase in firearm deaths. During the pandemic, there has been a 35% increase in the firearm homicide rate, and suicides by firearm also are persistently² high.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Something striking happened during the first year of the pandemic. The rate of gun homicides rose to a level that has not been seen in more than a quarter of a century. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce is looking into the new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nell, good morning.

NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, BYLINE³: Good morning.

INSKEEP: What are the numbers?

GREENFIELDBOYCE: So it's not great. It's demoralizing and depressing, in fact. This report looked at homicides and suicides that involved guns from 2019 through 2020. It was just a big analysis, looking across all kinds of different things - age, gender⁴, race, ethnicity - it looked at small towns and big cities, you know, rural areas. And what the researchers found was a striking increase in the gun homicide rate. It's the highest it's been since 1994. So in 2020, it was up 35% compared to the year before. That equates⁵ to about 5,000 more deaths in just one year.

INSKEEP: Wow. That's going back to an era when there was way more crime in America. And that's enough deaths that I'm sure it affects every kind of person in America. But are the numbers worse for some people than others?

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Yes. So the largest increase was seen for Black males who were already at a higher risk of gun violence. The gun homicide rate for Black boys and young men aged⁶ 10 to 24 was more than 21 times as high as the rate for white boys and men in the same age group.

INSKEEP: Wow.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: In addition, people living in counties with higher levels of poverty had gun homicide rates that were higher and showed larger increases. But all that said, the gun homicide rate was just up overall in, you know, in cities and rural areas and across all ages and genders⁷.

INSKEEP: Did the stress from the pandemic cause this?

GREENFIELDBOYCE: A study like this one can't really tell you the why. There was a lot going on that year. In 2020, for example, there was also a big surge in gun purchases. But when I asked Debra Houry about the potential causes - she's the acting⁸ principal deputy director of the CDC - she told me it's notable that the researchers saw higher rates of both gun homicide and gun suicide in places that are dealing⁹ with poverty.

DEBRA HOURY: When you look at the pandemic, things like job loss, economic stressors, social isolation¹⁰, these were already hard-hit communities. And so this could have impacted them more.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: She says addressing those kinds of stressors with things like housing assistance and, you know, tax credits can actually help prevent gun violence.

INSKEEP: You mentioned suicide there. Let me follow up on that. What does the study say about suicide as opposed to homicide?

GREENFIELDBOYCE: So the study also looked at guns involved in suicide. And it's worth noting here that most gun deaths in this country are from suicide, not homicide. And what they found is while the overall suicide rate actually went down in 2020, the rate of gun suicides didn't. It didn't change that much...

INSKEEP: OK.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: ...Although it did go up in some groups like Native Americans and Alaska Native males.

INSKEEP: Now, can I just note, it's really interesting and helpful to get this data from the CDC. And I think it's the kind of data that the CDC wasn't allowed to gather once upon a time. How different are things today?

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Well, they've always been allowed to gather data. But what they are doing now that's a little different is that Congress loosened an old restriction¹¹ and provided some funding. So they're now doing research into ways of preventing gun violence that they probably wouldn't have done before. They're funding about 18 new projects, looking at different things.

INSKEEP: NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce, thanks so much. And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-8255.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 equates   

v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的第三人称单数 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• He equates success with material wealth. 他认为成功等同于物质财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This equates to increased and vigor, better sleep and sharper mental acuity. 也就是说可以起到增强活力，改善睡眠，提高心智的作用。 来自互联网

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

11 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。