Dr. Carole Myers
Welcome to Health Connections, the show about people, health and policy. I'm Dr Carole Myers. Today I'm joined by Beth Joslin Roth, a Tennessee General Assembly staffer and researcher, to discuss a profile of gun violence in Tennessee. We'll focus on deaths that involve firearms. Let's start with a brief discussion of the sources of data and the methodology for the report Tennessee under the gun that you developed.
Beth Joslin Roth
The report, just to add a little clarification, we have a website that we started back in 2023 called Tennessee under the gun that tracks shootings that happen throughout the state every single day. It also compiles data related to background checks, permits, information about current gun laws, loopholes and laws, as well as data specific to firearm injuries and deaths here in Tennessee. That information comes from the CDC, and we download that information from the CDC each year as their data sets are updated. This past year, the health department published a report that was the result of some legislation that was passed that will, going forward, will be an annual report on gun violence, or specifically, firearm injury and death here in Tennessee. But all of the data that we use is coming from the health department, who then uploads it to the CDC databases.
To be clear, the health department is the Tennessee Department of Health correct. So let's dig into what are the major trends that are identified in the report that's recently been released.
What really stays with me is what the data shows us about children. We're seeing a rise in firearm deaths among kids, especially when it comes to suicide. That's a sign to me, that something deeper is going on with our young people, and it's not a topic that we talk near enough about.
Well, how does Tennessee compare to other states? Help us get a reference point.
Well, when you look at the national landscape, Tennessee consistently ranks near the top for gun deaths. We have a serious gun violence problem here in our state. We're 7th overall for firearm fatality, 6th for firearm homicides, 11th for suicides for all ages, and 8th for youth suicides involving guns.
Let's look now at the types of firearm deaths in Tennessee. You referred to suicide in children. Could you expound upon that, as well as other key findings from the report?
So I think most people, when they think about gun violence, they think about it in terms of homicides, but in Tennessee, the majority of firearm deaths are actually suicides. Almost 7 out of 10 suicides in our state involve a firearm, and for kids, it's more than half. Homicides are obviously still a serious and growing problem, particularly for young people, and when we look at domestic violence here in Tennessee, our state is consistently ranked among the top 10 states for women killed by men.
Let's slice it now by looking at deaths by age and geography. We've touched on age, but also look at geography.
So the most recent data that we have is from 2023 and it shows that Tennessee recorded more gun deaths than any previous year. Young adults, specifically those people ages 18 to 24, experience the highest number of firearm homicides. On the other end of the spectrum, firearm suicides are far more common among older adults, particularly older white men living in rural communities.
Tennessee Under the Gun
https://tnunderthegun.wixsite.com/tn-under-the-gun
Tennessee Violent Deaths Reporting System
https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/oscme/tnvdrs.html
