Dems definitely cannot cede to the GOP MAGA candidates the high ground as they message a blame game against incumbent democrats seeking elected office regarding the increase in US homicide/ crime rates since 2019 especially since this increase can be tied to the huge increase in gun sales since 2019.  Yes, not only is the increase in crime an economic issue but also, the human cost in increased anxiety is incalculable. This angst is real.

See: Does Crime Affect Economic Growth? | Request PDF – ResearchGate

But what GOP MAGA political leaders fail to point out is that as per USFacts.org, that while violent crime was up 3.3% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to preliminary data from the FBI’s quarterly Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system, this increase also reflects a 25% increase in the homicide rate. As an added tidbit, property crime decreased by 7.9% in 2020.

In short, because the increase in crime rates can be laid in large part at feet of GOP MAGA lawmakers who’ve resisted enacting any sensible gun legislation because they’ve been bought and paid for by the NRA (the National Rifle Association), Dems should be shouting from the rooftops about how their candidates are the champions of sensible gun legislation.

It doesn’t help that too many GOP MAGA lawmakers have been stoking their voters’ willingness to resort to violence while some openly have engaged in fomenting anti-Semitism, racist and anti-immigration rhetoric which can be blamed for a significant spike in hate crimes against minority populations since 2019. They want to claim the anti-crime mantel while they continue to support the defeated former US president who openly incited violence on numerous instances, the most memorable being his call to an insurrection against our US capitol on 1/6/2021.

As per the 1/10/2022 Atlantic report, “The Data Are Pointing to One Major Driver of America’s Murder Spike” by Jeff Asher and Rob Arthur:

“After murders in the US soared to more than 21,000 in 2020, researchers began searching for a definitive explanation why. Many factors may have contributed, such as a pandemic-driven loss of social programs and societal and policing changes after George Floyd’s murder. But one hypothesis is simpler, and perhaps has significant explanatory power: A massive increase in gun sales in early 2020 led to additional murders.”

“New data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) suggest that that indeed may have been the case. According to the data, newly purchased weapons found their way into crimes much more quickly and often last year than in prior years.”

See: More Gun Sales May Have Contributed to America’s Murder Spike https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01

As per a 2022 report, “New Report Highlights U.S. 2020 Gun-Related Deaths: Highest Number Ever Recorded by CDC, Gun Homicides Increase by More Than One-Third,” published by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health:

“A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions analyzes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention firearm fatality data for 2020—a year that saw the highest number of gun-related deaths ever recorded by the CDC and a sharp increase in gun homicides. Among other things, the report concludes that states with the most robust gun laws have lower gun-related death rates. ”

“The report, A Year in Review: 2020 Gun Deaths in the U.S., illustrates the enormous toll gun violence has in the U.S. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the 2020 CDC firearm fatality data, which was made public in December 2021; a look at demographic and state-level geographic differences; and a comparison of other injury fatalities. The report also highlights evidence-based policy recommendations states can implement to help curb gun violence in all its forms.”

“Gun violence in the U.S. surged in 2020 as the country grappled with an unfolding pandemic, deep political divisions and social unrest, economic disruption, and social isolation. Using CDC mortality data, the analysis revealed that overall firearm-related deaths increased by 15 percent in 2020 to 45,222, the highest number ever recorded by the CDC since it began tracking firearm deaths in 1968. This translates to 124 individuals on average dying from gun violence every day. Firearm homicides increased 35 percent in 2020, with nearly 5,000 more homicides compared to 2019. While the number of firearm deaths increased to a record level in 2020, the rate—13.62 per 100,000 deaths—did not exceed historic highs of the 1990s.”

“The 2020 data reveals striking differences across ages, gender, ethnicity, and U.S. states. As in recent years, gun violence was the leading cause of death for young people under age 25. Young people under 30 were nearly 10 times more likely to die by a firearm than from COVID-19 in 2020. On the other end of the age spectrum, people age 75 and older were at highest risk for dying by gun suicide, with a gun suicide rate twice the national average.”

“In 2020, gun-related homicides disproportionately impacted Black people more than their white counterparts, especially Black males. Young Black males represent two percent of the total U.S. population but accounted for approximately 38 percent of all gun homicide deaths in 2020. Black children and teens face alarmingly high rates of gun victimization. More than half of all Black teens (15-19) who died in 2020—52 percent—were killed by gun violence. Black males ages 15 to 34 were over 20 times more likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts. There was a 49-percent increase in the number of gun homicides among Black females compared to 2019.”

“Overall, males were 5 times more likely to die by gun homicide than females, and nearly 7 times more likely to die by firearm suicide than females. The report authors note that firearm homicide rates are driven by high rates of firearm homicides among Black males. High rates of firearm suicides are driven by high rates of firearm suicides among white males.”

“The report analyzed 2020 fatality data collected by the CDC’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database, a publicly available database on an array of public health issues. The data is based on death certificates, which reflect the primary cause of death.”

“Some of these data are stunning, like the number of firearm homicides among Black women increasing by nearly 50 percent,” says Cassandra Crifasi, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. “We hope calling attention to them with context and recommendations will elevate the conversation around gun violence prevention.”

“The year 2020 also saw a record number of gun sales. The report cites research that found that nearly twice as many of these new guns showed up at crime scenes in 2020 than in 2019.”

“The report found wide variations among states. States with the highest gun death rates in 2020 were rural states in the South or West. Mississippi had the highest rate of gun deaths in 2020: 28.63 per 100,000 deaths, followed by Louisiana at 26.26 per 100,000, and Wyoming at 25.9 per 100,000. Conversely, Hawaii had the lowest gun death rate: 3.37 per 100,000, followed by Massachusetts at 3.74 per 100,000 deaths, and New Jersey at 5.03 per 100,000.”

The researchers note that the states with the lowest gun death rates have stronger gun laws. Each of the 5 states with the lowest gun death rate had both the following gun laws in place in 2020: 1) a firearm purchaser licensing law or a waiting period; and 2) an Extreme Risk Protection Order law. Purchaser licensing laws require an individual to apply for and obtain a license before purchasing a firearm. Extreme Risk Protection Order laws are mechanisms to temporarily remove firearms from individuals at risk for suicide or violence against others.

“Conversely, states that had the highest gun death rates in 2020 had laws that authorize individuals to use lethal force even in situations they might have otherwise been able to walk away from, and 3 of the 5 had permitless carry laws, which allow individuals to carry a concealed gun in public without a permit.”

See: New Report Highlights U.S. 2020 Gun-Related Deaths: Highest …https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022

CDC Report: US Gun Homicides Spiked 35% From 2019 to 2020https://www.voanews.com