PHiladelphia has seen the biggest drop in gun violence among major US cities so far in 2024, according to a new report from a Washington D.C.-based think tank.
O Center for American Progress (CAP) released its analysis on Tuesday Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which is an online archive of gun violence incidents collected from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government, and commercial sources every day. CAP analyzed “gun homicides and gun violence victimizations” data from 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024, from January 1 to April 30 (which CAP called “year-to-date” or “year-to-date”). CAP defined “gun violence victimizations” as all firearm-related injuries and deaths.
“Philadelphia has seen the most significant decline in population-adjusted gun violence victimizations year-to-date among the 50 most populous U.S. cities,” CAP said in its analysis. “By the end of April 2024, Philadelphia had experienced nearly 16 fewer gun victimizations per 100,000 residents.”
CAP found that gun violence has declined in most major U.S. cities. In addition to Philadelphia, Detroit; Washington DC; Baltimore; Milwaukee; and Columbus, Ohio, has seen at least 10 fewer victimizations per 100,000 residents year-to-date.
“Cities that are making the biggest gains in public safety – such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston, all of which have lower rates of gun victimization year-to-date in 2024 compared to the same period in 2019 – have committed to strategies of reducing armed violence coordinated by their local governments. violence prevention offices and have made significant investments in more holistic, long-term approaches to improving public safety,” CAP said in its analysis.
Philadelphia, for example, formed an interagency task force following a 2020 increase in gun violence. The task force studied local data on gun violence and analyzed evidence-based practices the city could implement, CAP said. Using this work, the working group recommended supporting vulnerable community members by investing in intervention models in community violenceand strengthen data tracking and reporting of gun violence to better promote case resolution.
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Overall, gun homicides in the US decreased by 13.1% and gun violence victimizations decreased by 12.5%, compared to 2023. CAP highlighted that 2021 saw the highest annual rate of gun violence since the beginning of the 1990s, but gun homicides in 2024 have so far fallen by 16.4%. CAP also stated that, since the beginning of 2022, homicides with firearms have decreased nationally and that there are no signs that this trend is slowing down.
Still, gun homicide rates are 16% higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CAP. As of April 30, 2024, the GVA recorded 5,043 total firearm homicides; At the same time, in 2019, the GVA recorded 4,333 total gun homicides, CAP said.
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This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
