US Latino Communities Are the Most Affected by Gun Violence

The Violence Policy Center (VPC) released a report indicating that Latinos have become one of the most affected communities by gun violence in the United States.

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Deaths among Hispanics due to firearm incidents in the country nearly doubled over a decade: between 2011 and 2021, such fatalities increased from 2,947 to 5,741.

Furthermore, Latinos are more likely than whites to be killed by a firearm, as evidenced by the homicide rate per 100,000 people in 2021—5.2 compared to 3.1.

Among the factors explaining the rise in gun violence among Latinos is the effort made by the firearms industry in recent years to turn them into consumers of their products. Other causes of violence are linked to police violence against certain communities, stemming from systemic racism in the United States.

"Latino communities experience violence and terror every day; we have normalized the idea that we can be killed with a firearm," asserted Michelle Monterrosa, one of the coordinators of the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice network.

The firearms industry is launching a campaign targeting Hispanics and other minorities to increase sales on one hand and support for the pro-gun movement on the other.

"The traditional consumer base (white males) is aging and dying, and they need to recruit new customers to offset the decline in their membership numbers," stated VPC Director Josh Sugarmann, who emphasized that the pro-gun movement has always sought to "demonize" African American and Latino communities but now needs them to sustain its sales.

Vanessa Gonzalez, vice president of Governmental and Political Affairs at the Giffords NGO, asserts that the firearms industry employs "fear and misinformation" to attract customers, instilling in them the false belief that a firearm will provide greater protection.