In the space of less than 14 hours, 29 people were shot dead in two massacres, in two different cities across the US. The shooting in Dayton, Ohio, in which 10 people were killed and 26 were injured, was the nation’s 251st mass shooting.
Only a day later, the grim tally now stands at 255.
Here we take a look at some of the key facts around gun violence in the US.
How many mass shootings have there been so far this year?
As of Monday morning, there have been 255 mass shootings in the US, according to figures kept by non-for-profit group the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is generally accepted as an incident in which at least four people are shot.
There have now been more mass shootings across the US than the number of days this year.
The three deadliest of 2019 are:
- El Paso Texas, on August 3, in which 20 people were killed and another 26 were injured
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, On May 31, in which 13 people were killed and another five were injured
- Dayton, Ohio, on August 4, in which 10 people were killed and another 26 were injured.
The state with the highest number of mass shootings this year is California, with 32 mass shootings.
How many people have died?
There have been 273 fatalities so far this year, and 1,067 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Shootings have become so common that many incidents receive little or no media coverage.
Which state has seen the highest death toll?
Texas currently has the highest death toll (45 people), followed by California (40). In 2017, Texas and California were the states with the most deaths due to firearms; 3,513 people died due to firearms in Texas, and 3,184 people in California, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
How many Americans own guns?
According to a report from the Small Arms Survey in June 2018, American citizens possessed a total of 393 million guns. This means there were 120.5 firearms per 100 residents.
However around firearm possession in the US is uncertain due to a federal law preventing a central registry of firearms possessed by private owners. Phone surveys have reported between 32% and 42% of Americans stating they live in a household with guns.
Is gun ownership on the rise?
The same 2018 survey gives an inflation rate of 4.16 % for all firearms in the United States in recent years, compared to a 3.4 % inflation rate for rifles in England and Wales.