How does gun violence in Worcester compare with the state, and the nation?

WORCESTER — It's no secret gun violence is rampant in America.

Mass shootings occur at an alarming pace, and recent cases of people being shot after accidentally knocking on the wrong door or driving into the wrong driveway have shocked the nation.

Now, a new report in Worcester takes a close look at gun violence in America. Its editor is Dr. Michael Hirsh, medical director in Worcester's Department of Public Health, professor of surgery and pediatrics at UMass Chan Medical School, and founder of the annual Worcester Goods for Guns Buyback Program, which has taken more than 4,000 guns off the streets since its inception 21 years ago.

Titled "Gun Violence: Approaches to an Endemic Problem in American Society," the report is published by the Worcester District Medical Society. It includes contributions from doctors, researchers, medical students, advocates and a member of law enforcement.

What is Worcester's gun violence rate?

It stands at 3.91 deaths per 100,000 people from 2017 to 2020, according to the report, slightly higher than the Massachusetts rate of 3.71.

Nationally, the rate in 2020 was 13.28, so Worcester and Massachusetts are far below that number. Massachusetts had the second-lowest rate of gun violence in the country in 2020, behind Hawaii's 3.4. The report attributes the low rate in Massachusetts to fewer guns compared to other states, and stricter gun laws. The report said Massachusetts' laws are the sixth-toughest in the country.

In 2021, Massachusetts had a gun violence rate of 3.4, the lowest rate nationally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hawaii was second at 4.8.

What are some statistical highlights?

The report has many. One makes this comparison: Compared to children 5 to 14 in 30 other high-income countries, a child in the United States is more than 25 times more likely to be a victim of gun homicide. American children are almost 10 times more likely to commit suicide using a gun.

Other statistics include:

● In 2021 there were 49,000 gun fatalities (63% were suicides), with injuries reaching twice that number.

● Firearm suicides claim the lives of 23,891 Americans every year, and guns are now the leading cause of death of American children and teens.

● Every year in Massachusetts, guns kill an average of 255 people (56% are suicides) and wound 557, andan average of 20 children and teens die by guns.

What is causing the violence?

As Hirsh sees it, the answer is simple. It's the sheer number and availability of guns. They're pouring into Worcester and other communities from states with weak gun laws.

Hirsh learned a long time ago that reducing the number of guns can translate to fewer deaths. He got the message listening to Sarah Brady, whose husband, James Brady, was shot during an assassination attempt of President Ronald Reagan in March 1981.

Sarah Brady was in New York's Audubon Ballroom later that year, speaking to those grieving the death of John Wood, a pediatric resident at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center who was mugged and shot to death outside the hospital.

Hirsh was a good friend of Wood while both were in residency at Columbia Presbyterian, and he attended Brady's talk.

"She was the first person to say the term, 'Lethal means access reduction,' " said Hirsh. "If you cut the vector for violence that makes violence lethal, then you can make a dent."

How to reduce number of guns?

Making that dent was addressed by several contributors to the Worcester Medicine report. They cited gun buyback programs as one effective strategy. The program Hirsh started more than 20 years ago has grown beyond Worcester to include 22 cities and towns in Central Massachusetts.

Strengthening laws in states with weak guns laws is another strategy. So is putting pressure on Congress to pass tougher federal gun laws.

That is easier said than done, according to David Hemenway, a study contributor and professor of health policy at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Despite most Americans, including most gun owners, wanting tougher gun laws, Hemenway said one party in Congress has thwarted those efforts.

"This is largely because one of America’s two major political parties has become allied with the gun industry and have made gun issues part of their strategic platforms," stated Hemenway. "The best thing that Americans can do is to give their time and money to help elect a Congress and executive branch that is more responsive to the needs of the average American than it is to the desires of the gun industry and gun lobby."

Can conversations help?

The report encourages doctors to have conversations with their patients about guns in the home and how to store them properly so they don't fall into the wrong hands, especially children's.

Many physicians haven't been trained on how to have these talks, noted the report. Plus, doctors feel awkward about having them.

Hirsh said doctors must ask their patients the tough questions about guns in the home, and he's working with a medical student at UMass Chan to address physician reservations.

As noted in the Worcester Medicine report, UMass Chan student Christopher Zaro joined Hirsh on a project to survey pediatricians about how they deal with recommendations to patients about firearm safety. The pair will then develop a method for pediatricians to recommend gun locks to patients who want one. Plus, work with gun ranges and police departments to create a firearms storage map that will be available online and in emergency departments. Patients can use the map to find a temporary place to store a gun outside the home for 48 to 72 hours.

Add to the mix the possibility that some household members can have cognitive, emotional and substance-abuse issues that may create a heightened risk of gun violence, noted Hirsh. All the more reason for pediatricians to ask their patients about how they're securing guns at home.

“There is an opportunity at medical colleges and graduate nursing schools to make young practitioners aware, feel responsible for asking questions and forcing patients to make a risk assessment," said Hirsh. “Patients may not decide to get rid of their gun, but they may store them better.”

What else can be done?

Hirsh explained that public-service campaigns to educate residents about the dangers of gun violence could be an effective way to reduce gun violence.

He also suggested that every legal gun purchase should come with a storage device to keep it safely secured and out of the reach of children. He compared it to bicycle shops that sell helmets to protect riders.

Not giving up

Hirsh has been in the gun prevention arena for over four decades, and he’s not about to stop now.

Besides gunshot wounds being the No. 1 cause of pediatric deaths in the U.S. and 40,000 people nationwide are killed every year from gun violence, Hirsh offered another number to highlight his point that the nation's massive supply of guns is a public health crisis: Nearly 20% of U.S. residents report they're either a victim of or witness to gun violence.

“I’m not going to give up until I’m dead. I don’t feel the problem has gone away,” said Hirsh. “It’s insane. We have to do better.”

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Gun violence toll in Worcester, and across US focus of new report