Black people account for 60% of the firearm homicide victims in the United States despite being only 13.6% of the population, a new analysis has shown.
Researchers from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence examined data from the CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System and compared the share of Black firearm homicide over the past five years of available data – 2017 to 2021.
The analysis found that non-Hispanic Blacks are 11.5 times more likely to be victims of firearm homicide than non-Hispanic Whites, a figure which rises to 19 times for the 18-24 age group.
Young Black males are nearly 23 times more likely to die by firearm homicide than White males aged 18-24.
“Over the past five years, there has been a 97.67% increase in firearm homicide among Black youth, a 92.16% increase among Black male youth, and a 134.13% increase among Black female youth,” the Brady Center said.
“The same cities that experience disproportionate gun homicide — Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Newark, St. Louis, and Chicago — all have large, segregated Black communities with histories of disinvestment.”
The researchers also noted that the firearm suicide rate is increasing faster for Blacks than for Whites.
According to FBI crime data from the same period, Black or African Americans made up 54% of the homicide victims( 70% of all homicides were committed with firearms), and Whites accounted for 41%.
Of the homicide offenders where the race was known, Black accounted for 56%, and Whites 40%.
Non-Hispanic Whites are 58.9% of the population, while Whites including those who say they are Spanish/Hispanic/Latino are 75.5%.