Firearms injuries, deaths, and equity

People of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, abilities, and political affiliations own firearms and are impacted by firearm injuries and deaths in Colorado. 

While all types of firearm injury and death are of concern for Coloradans, certain populations are disproportionately impacted. 

For example, most firearm deaths in Colorado are due to suicide, and American Indian, Alaska Native, and white men are at the highest risk. However, certain urban areas have the highest rates of firearm homicide, and young Black males are at the highest risk.

The Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) acknowledges the long-standing structural and systemic inequities that continue contributing to the disproportionate impact of firearm injury and death on Colorado communities. 

As such, the OGVP acknowledges that addressing firearm injury in Colorado will require various prevention approaches, including identifying, confronting, and repairing injustices within and across systems such as housing, education, criminal justice, transportation, and health care. Further, emerging and ongoing efforts must actively seek to avoid worsening existing inequities by conducting community-driven interventions and using an equity-based framework.

There is an urgent need for transformative and sustainable action from all stakeholders. Data-driven, community-informed, and multi-level prevention is key to ensuring a public health approach to reducing firearm injury and death for all Coloradans.