EDITORIAL: U.S. firearm violence hasn’t increased

Mass shootings leave Americans anguished and angry. Every time one happens, more and more voters want to know how many more mass shootings will happen before our leaders "do something" about it. The unrelenting media coverage of and emotional debate surrounding mass shootings create the impression that the country is awash in worsening gun violence.

The trouble is, as horrific as mass shootings are, the numbers tell a different story.

According to a Pew Research Center study of data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of U.S. gun homicides and nonfatal gun victimizations have both held steady for roughly 15 years, and are both down over the past 20.

This reality hasn't done much to change public perception.

"Despite these trends, most U.S. adults think gun crimes have increased," writes Pew's Jens Manuel Krogstad. "In our 2013 survey, more than half (56 percent) of Americans said the number of gun crimes had gone up compared with 20 years ago. Another 26 percent said the number of gun crimes had remained the same, and just 12 percent said gun crimes had declined."

While gun crimes have dropped over the past two decades, the number of suicides by gun is up (and growing) over the same time period. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to push their agenda, gun control advocates like to manipulate this data by citing growing "gun deaths" as a reason for stricter gun controls.

A recent Washington Post and ABC News poll shows that Americans aren't necessarily buying what these advocates are selling, however. Respondents were asked if they thought mass shootings in the United States have more to do with problems identifying and treating the mentally ill or inadequate gun control laws. By a more than 2-to-1 margin — 63 percent to 23 percent — more respondents said the problem lies with the country's mental health system rather than weak gun control laws.

Gun control advocates need Americans to believe an inaccurate narrative to get their agenda passed. And it's working, because poll after poll shows strong public support for some of the policies sought by Democrats, such as expanded background checks, that wouldn't have prevented the violent acts they use to justify pursuit of said policies. Voters should take a closer look at the numbers before they demand yet more federal laws.