A mass shooting at a graduation in Richmond...

The dramatic increase in firearm violence this city has endured since 2015 deserves national media attention, too.

Certainly, the recent tragic mass shooting in Richmond is newsworthy. But it’s only being covered by outlets like the New York Times because the location is novel (a high school graduation) and the victims are sympathetic (students & parents). What hasn’t been reported by mainstream national media outlets is the stunning observation that gun homicides in Richmond have more than DOUBLED since 2015. Less than halfway through 2023 there have already been more firearm fatalities in Richmond (47) than during the entire year in 2015. (See below.)

This chart (click on the link for the interactive version) shows the number of firearm fatalities and injuries in Richmond from 2015 through yesterday (June 6) of 2023.

Gun Homicides and Assaults in Richmond, 2015-2023

Back in 2016, when gun homicides spiked 55% in Richmond over the previous year, I don’t recall any national new media reporting on this. Granted, some years are worse than others. But in 2021 over 100 people were murdered in Richmond (a stunning 158% increase since 2015). What’s been happening in Richmond over the past several years is a crisis. Gun violence has also increased in the vast majority of similarly-sized cities. Below, I show the increase in the Firearm Homicide Rate per 100,000 in cities with populations similar to Richmond (226,610).

In some cities, 2022 was an improvement over 2021, but rates of gun violence are still elevated practically everywhere. This is not normal. As recently as 2015, cities experienced a fraction of this amount of firearm violence. Why are (some) mass shootings newsworthy while this trend of overall heightened gun violence is barely noted by national media, even in stories about particular episodes of gun violence?

I’ll be reporting 2022 and 2023 trends as the data becomes available. In the meantime please subscribe for regular updates about gun violence in over 1000 US cities. Thank you!