Data released this week by the nonprofit research organization KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, shows that about 1 in 5 adults—21 percent—has been threatened with a firearm in the US. .
The organization specifies that a similar proportion ?19 percent? says a family member was killed with a weapon ?including death by suicide? and nearly as many ?17 percent? has witnessed someone being shot.
The survey It also revealed that a small proportion of people - 4 percent - have fired a weapon in self-defense, or have been injured in a shooting - 4 percent. In all, approximately half ?54 percent? of all American adults say they or a family member have had one of these experiences at some point.
Gun-related injuries and deaths, as well as concerns about gun violence, disproportionately affect people of color in the US, KFF noted.
In this sense, he stressed that a third of Afro-descendant adults ?34 percent? have a family member who was killed by a firearm, double the proportion of white adults who say the same thing – 17 percent.
In addition, a third of Afro-descendant adults ?32 percent? and Hispanic adults ?33 percent? They said they worry "every day" or "almost every day" that they or someone they love is the victim of gun violence, compared to one in 10 white adults.
They also pointed out that 1 in 5 Afro-descendant adults ?20 percent? and Hispanics ?18 percent? he feels that gun-related crime, death and injury is a "constant threat" to his local community, more than twice the rate among white adults -- 8 percent.
On the other hand, KFF points out that the majority ?84 percent? of American adults say they have taken at least one precaution to protect themselves or their families from the possibility of gun violence, including nearly 6 in 10 ?58 percent? who have talked to their children or other family members about firearm safety, and more than 4 in 10 who bought a weapon other than a gun, such as a knife or pepper spray ?44 percent?, or attended to a gun safety class or practiced shooting a gun ?41 percent?.
The figures indicated that around a third ?35 percent? have avoided large crowds such as music festivals or crowded bars and clubs to protect themselves or their families from the possibility of gun violence. While 3 out of 10 ?29 percent? have purchased a gun to protect themselves or their family from the possibility of gun violence.
Smaller percentages, but still at least 1 in 7, have avoided using public transport - 23 percent.
Thus, 1 in 7 ?14 percent? of adults say they have been asked by a doctor or other health care provider if they have a weapon or if there are weapons in the home, while one in four ?26 percent? of parents of children under 18 say their child's pediatrician has asked them about weapons in the home. While just 5 percent said a doctor or other health care provider has ever talked to them about gun safety.
To this is added that 4 out of every 10 ?41 percent? reported living in a home with a weapon.
Among this group, more than half say that at least one gun in their home is kept in the same place as the ammunition ?52 percent?, 44 percent say that a gun is kept in an unlocked place, and more than a third report that they have a weapon stored loaded ?36 percent?.
In general, three out of four ?75 percent? adults who live in homes with guns say that one of their guns is stored in one of these ways, which represents three in 10 adults overall ?31 percent?.
Approximately 4 out of 10 ?44 percent? Parents of children under 18 say there is a gun in their home. Of them, about a third have said that a weapon is stored loaded ?32 percent? or stored in an unlocked place? 32 percent?. More than half of the parents ?61 percent? they say that any weapons in their homes are stored in the same place as ammunition.
People of color are more likely to report experiencing gun-related incidents, more likely to worry and feel less safe about gun violence
The latest KFF survey finds that experiences with shootings are widespread, but even more common among people of color.
While many factors, such as income, education, age, gender, and where they live, can play a role in people's experiences with gun-related incidents and concerns about gun violence, race, and gender. ethnicity are consistently one of the strongest demographic predictors of both experiences and concerns.
You may be interested in: Cops Involved in Fatal San Mateo County Shooting Will Not Be Charged
