In 2006, death by gun eclipsed death by traffic in Nevada—and in the years since that data has never switched back, according to numbers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between 2004 and 2015—the last year for which figures are available—deaths from gun violence in Nevada increased by more than 13%. The horrific Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas is going to add to that number considerably.
Nevada has some of the most lax gun laws in the US. And after years in which mass shootings have become somewhat routine, public polling by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows the majority of Americans agree gun violence is a national problem.
Still, most Americans don’t see gun violence as a big problem in their own neighborhoods—posing a disconnect in the overall conversation about how gun violence might be curbed on the federal level.
Between 2000 and 2014, more people died as a result of mass shootings in the US than any other country, according to PolitiFact. Still regardless of those numbers or public perception, the US Congress has not passed any major legislation to tackle gun violence. During that time, gun manufacturers have seen a large increase in production.