Gun violence exacts a staggering toll on American society, wrecking lives and families, placing an enormous burden on police, health professionals, and taxpayers.
Sometimes, the best way to tell this story is to show it. On Wednesday, the data-journalism specialty site FiveThirtyEight launched a multi-part investigative project that includes one of the most compelling gun death visualizations we’ve seen. It is a powerful reminder of how black males die in hugely disproportionate numbers in gun violence — and of how suicide, which is frequently overlooked in the gun debate, accounts for two thirds of all gun deaths.
Below is a slide from the FiveThirtyEight package that drives that latter point home, along with four other gun violence graphics that drive home the pervasiveness of this public health crisis.
