Factors that determine rates of gun violence vary by country.[5] These factors may include the illegal drug trade, easy access to firearms, substance misuse including alcohol, mental health problems, firearm laws, social attitudes, economic differences, and occupations such as being a police officer.[5][6] Where guns are more common, altercations more often end in death.[13]
Before management begins, the area must be verified as safe.[9] This is followed by stopping major bleeding, then assessing and supporting the airway, breathing, and circulation.[9] Firearm laws, particularly background checks and permit to purchase, decrease the risk of death from firearms.[7] Safer firearm storage may decrease the risk of firearm-related deaths in children.[8]
In 2015, about a million gunshot wounds occurred from interpersonal violence.[10] In 2016, firearms resulted in 251,000 deaths globally, up from 209,000 in 1990.[5] Of these deaths, 161,000 (64%) were the result of assault, 67,500 (27%) were the result of suicide, and 23,000 (9%) were accidents.[5] In the United States, guns resulted in about 40,000 deaths in 2017.[14] Firearm-related deaths are most common in males between the ages of 20 and 24 years.[5] Economic costs due to gunshot wounds have been estimated at $140 billion a year in the United States.[15]
^Stein JS, Strauss E (January 1995). "Gunshot wounds to the upper extremity. Evaluation and management of vascular injuries". The Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 26 (1): 29–35. doi:10.1016/S0030-5898(20)31965-9. PMID7838501.
^Rhee PM, Moore EE, Joseph B, Tang A, Pandit V, Vercruysse G (June 2016). "Gunshot wounds: A review of ballistics, bullets, weapons, and myths". The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 80 (6): 853–67. doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000001037. PMID26982703.