According to both researchers and the media, reports of gun violence rose significantly in 2020.1, 2 We reviewed EHR data for patients who sought care for at least one new firearm incident. The data show a sharp increase in incidents starting in late spring 2020, with monthly incidents peaking in October 2020 at 73% higher than the monthly average in 2018 and 2019.
Firearm incidents increased for patients of all races and ages, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below, but the increase was not proportional across races. To smooth month-to-month variation, we calculated 5-month rolling averages and found that incidents increased for non-White populations by between 76% and 89% while they increased for the White population by 40%.
When broken down by sex, 85% of all new firearm incidents between January 2018 and June 2021 were for male patients compared to 15% for female patients. We further stratified new firearm incidents by race or ethnicity and age, as shown in Figure 3. Black male patients ages 18-34 have historically had more firearm incidents than patients from other groups. Black female patients ages 18-34 have also had more firearm incidents than other female groups.
At a time when other interactions with the healthcare system decreased,3 visits for new firearm incidents increased, particularly for non-White patients.
