Chicago (CBS) — A new report on gun deaths in Illinois by One Aim Illinois and the Violence Policy Center shows an overall upward trend in firearm-related deaths over the past few years.
The latest data in the report is for 2022. There were a total of 1,798 gun deaths in 2022, including 1,091 homicides and 676 suicides. Unintentional gun deaths are not included.
While this figure is down from 2021’s total of 1,995 gun deaths (including 1,292 homicides, 656 suicides and 16 unintentional gun deaths), the 2022 figure is higher than all years prior to that, including 2018.
The report also noted that gun deaths have surpassed car deaths since 2014, a “shocking fact given people’s daily exposure to cars, not guns.”
Illinois had the 30th highest gun death rate overall in the U.S. in 2022 compared to other states, according to the report.
The report also breaks down Illinois’ gun deaths by race, age, and ethnicity. 87.2% of gun deaths were men, a figure that applies roughly to both homicides and suicides.
Of the gun deaths, 45.3% were people between the ages of 25 and 44, and 24.1% were people between the ages of 18 and 24. Of the gun suicides, those between the ages of 25 and 44 accounted for 55.5% and the largest group, the 45 to 64 age group, accounted for 31.7%.
Racial disparities in Illinois’ gun-related statistics were the most stark: Of all gun-related deaths in Illinois in 2022, 917 (51%) were Black, 639 (35.5%) were White, 217 (12.1%) were Hispanic, and 11 (0.6%) were Asian.
Racial disparities in homicide and suicide victims were particularly dramatic: In 2022, 834 (76.4%) of the victims in firearm homicides were black, 163 (14.9%) of the victims were Hispanic, and 81 (7.4%) of the victims were white. In 2022, 540 (79.9%) of the victims in firearm suicides were white, 75 (11.1%) of the victims were black, and 50 (7.4%) of the victims were Hispanic.
‘Wear Orange Weekend’ honors memory of victims of gun violence
The release of the report on Friday coincided with the start of Wear Orange Weekend. Commemorative Events It was started 11 years ago to honor the memory of Hadiyah Pendleton and to commemorate the more than 48,000 people who have lost their lives to gun violence in the United States in 2022.
“Wear Orange Weekend is a time for communities across the country to come together and advocate for change,” said Yolanda Androzzo, executive director of One Aim Illinois. “It’s a stark reminder of the urgent need to address gun violence, which continues to ravage our communities, especially in Black and brown communities.”
Hadiya was 15 at the time. Shot and killed on January 29, 2013The shooting happened at Vivian Gordon Hirsch Park in the Kenwood neighborhood, about a mile from the Obama family home, just days after she and her school band performed in former President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade.
First Lady Michelle Obama attended Hadiya’s funeral.
At a press conference on Friday, Hadiyah’s mother, Cleo Pendleton, stressed that each statistic in the new report on gun deaths represents one person whose life has been taken.
“This affects everyone. Whether or not your blood or your family’s blood has been shed, it can happen. And the fact that it can happen means something needs to be done,” Pendleton said. “We’re asking you to save the lives of your families. That’s it.”
Pendleton was one of several speakers who shared their experiences of loss at a news conference Friday at the Fulton Street Collective, 1821 W. Hubbard St.
Eric Wilkins is the founder of the Broken Wings Foundation, which supports victims of gun violence, and is himself a victim of gun violence, having been shot and paralyzed 25 years ago.
“On May 15, 1999, I was shot twice, leaving me paralyzed from the waist down and changing my life forever. Since then, I have been unable to walk without some assistance, I wear leg braces and use a wheelchair,” Wilkins said at the press conference. “My story is a reminder of the lasting impact of gun violence, which not only affects the direct victims, but their families and the futures of countless others.”
Alice Norris’ 14-year-old daughter, Rolanda Marshall, was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1993.
“My daughter’s murder remains unsolved to this day, 30 years later. This is just stupid, and the grief of her loss is something I carry with me every day,” Norris said. “Knowing that her killer is still on the streets is not only horrifying, but disturbing for our community, our neighbors and our family.”
Norris called for a year-round fight against gun violence and stricter gun control measures.
“We shouldn’t just fight in June to keep our communities safe, we should fight to keep Illinois safe 365 days a year,” she said. “And we must continue to pass common sense gun control laws. I’ve been advocating for gun control laws ever since I lost my daughter, saying this is a public health epidemic and people are basically choosing to do nothing. But yesterday my child died from a gun, and tomorrow I worry that your child will die from a gun.”
Delphine Cherry has lost two children to gun violence: her daughter, Taysa, then 16, was killed by a stray bullet as she left a movie theater on January 17, 1992, and her son, Tyler, 20, was beaten and shot to death in front of their home on December 22, 2012.
“The trauma and grief I have experienced has been an immeasurable blow not only to me, but to my family and my community,” Cherry, who later became president of the Chicago chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said at a news conference.
Supporters were joined by Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon (Democrat, 5th District), who also called for “common sense gun reform.”
Those at the press conference called on everyone to speak up on behalf of those who cannot speak up and to work together to stop gun violence.
