WASHINGTON — Gun violence costs the United States $229 billion annually — or 1.4 percent of GDP – according to a new report released Wednesday by the Joint Economic Committee.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the committee, said the cost of gun violence is a uniquely American problem and inaction on gun control by the Senate and White House is costing lives daily.
“We are standing alone in gun violence,” Maloney (D-Manhattan) said Wednesday.
She pointed to a chart from her committee that shows the US standing out with 3.9 violent deaths by firearm per 100,000 people, while other industrial countries have less than one.
“Many people react to the crisis by saying we need more guns,” Maloney said. “Let’s arm more people. Let’s arm students. Let’s arm teachers. But … if guns made us safer, there is no doubt that we would be the safest country on Earth, because we have more guns than any other country.”
The committee’s report gave a state-by-state analysis of gun violence costs based on data from the Giffords Law Center and the Centers for Disease Control.
New York has one of the lowest costs of gun violence as a share of the state’s economy, tied with Hawaii and Massachusetts at 0.3 percent of GDP, the report found.
Gun violence costs the Empire State $5.6 billion annually in lost income, healthcare, employer costs plus the costs to the criminal justice system.
Report authors credited the low rate in New York to stricter gun laws, including a ban on assault rifles, and permits needed to purchase handguns.
Maloney made the pitch for stricter gun laws nationwide as the Senate has declined to vote on House-passed background check legislation and the White House has sent mixed signals on what President Trump would sign into law.
More rural states — Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and West Virgina — have the highest costs of gun violence measured as a share of their economies, the report found.