A new report tallies deaths in Wisconsin from gun violence, including murders and suicides, and makes recommendations for prevention. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Guns claimed the lives of 830 Wisconsin residents in 2022 according to Gun Death in Wisconsin, a new joint report by 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 working to stop gun death and injury.
The study was released as part of the Emergency Gun Violence Summit being held Thursday at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. It analyzes data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on lethal gun violence in the state and compares Wisconsin firearm death data to other Great Lakes states.
The study offers year-over-year trend analyses by sex, age, race, and ethnicity for firearm suicide and firearm homicide.
It also examines gun suicide and homicide deaths in urban and rural areas and presents firearm criminal trace data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The report also presents personal stories of Wisconsin residents affected by lethal gun violence.
“This report highlights the toll of gun violence on Wisconsin communities and the disparities that must be addressed,” said Nick Matuszewski, director of policy and program at WAVE Educational Fund. “WAVE is committed to advocating for necessary changes to protect every Wisconsinite. Research shows that policies like universal background checks and extreme risk laws effectively reduce gun violence. By prioritizing these measures, 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 recognize public health threats but also identify effective solutions,” said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center. “This annual study is one more tool for advocates, organizations, and policymakers working to reduce gun violence in Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin gun death findings:
Guns claimed the lives of 830 Wisconsin residents in 2022, including 529 firearm suicides and 277 firearm homicides. In 2022, guns were used in 57.3% (529 of 924) of suicides and 84.7% (277 of 327) of homicides. For both suicides and homicides, the majority of victims were male. While the state’s overall suicide and firearm suicide rates were similar to national rates, both its homicide and firearm homicide rates were lower than national rates.
Black Wisconsin residents are disproportionately affected by lethal gun violence. While Black residents comprise only 6.3% of Wisconsin’s population, 75.5% of firearm homicide victims were Black, with the Black firearm homicide victimization rate more than doubling from 23.0 per 100,000 in 2019 to 55.9 per 100,000 in 2022. Black Wisconsin residents were almost 70 times more likely to die from firearm homicide than white residents. And while the white population in Wisconsin has historically had the highest rate of suicide by firearm in the state, the Black population surpassed this disturbing metric in 2022. Between 2018 and 2022 the firearm suicide rate for Black Wisconsin residents more than tripled — from 3.0 per 100,000 to 9.4 per 100,000.
Most gun deaths in rural Wisconsin are suicides, not homicides. Suicides increased from 81% of all rural gun deaths in 2018 to 91% of all rural gun deaths in 2022. For that same period, the rural firearm suicide rate increased from 8.1 per 100,000 to 11.4 per 100,000.
Since 2020, gun deaths have outpaced motor vehicle deaths across the state, a shocking fact recognizing most people’s daily exposure to motor vehicles as opposed to firearms.
For homicides in which the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 76.8% of Wisconsin homicide victims were killed by someone they knew (162 of 211).
For homicides in which the circumstances were known, 80% (184 out of 230) were not related to the commission of any other felony – 41.3% (76 homicides) involved an argument between the victim and offender.
According to ATF, in 2022 more than 8,000 firearms were recovered in Wisconsin and traced. Almost all of the guns recovered and traced were handguns – 79.8% were pistols and 6% were revolvers. In addition, the vast majority of firearms recovered in Wisconsin (84.5%) were originally sourced in-state.
The report also cites WAVE’s recommended gun violence prevention policies for the state as well as its recent policy successes.
The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury.
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund (WAVE) is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to preventing gun violence, injuries and deaths through education and advocacy.
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