Content Advisory
Please be aware that this content contains descriptions of violence that may be distressing to some viewers.The Multistate Project collected information from criminal history files, death records, Supplementary Homicide Reports, and Uniform Crime Reports. Firearm involvement accounted for only 1 percent of the 326,239 deaths occurring between 1991 and 1995. Guns were used in more than half of the homicides and suicides. Murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults involving a firearm totaled about 20 percent of the reported violent crimes and 2 percent of all serious crimes. Fifty-three percent of homicide incidents were firearm-related, usually handgun-related. A majority of the homicides occurred as the result of an argument; two-thirds of the argument-related homicides involved non-family members, 27 percent involved family members, and 7 percent were over money or property. The project provided insights about how states can carry out such cooperative endeavors and revealed the importance of completing thorough groundwork, following a detailed work plan, maintaining open communication, and following timelines. Figures, tables, and 30 references