About 1 in 5 American adults say they have had a family member killed by a gun, including death by suicide, and 1 in 5 say they have personally been threatened with a gun, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation study released Tuesday.
Additionally, 17 percent of American adults have witnessed someone being shot, 4 percent have shot a gun in self-defense, and 4 percent have been wounded in a shooting.
When it comes to gun-related deaths and injuries and concerns over gun violence, people of color are disproportionately affected — 34 percent of Black adults have had a relative killed by a gun, compared to 17 percent of white adults, while 32 percent of Black adults and 33 percent of Hispanic adults say they worry "every day" or "almost every day" about themselves or loved ones becoming a victim of gun violence, compared to 10 percent of white adults
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Due to concerns about mass shootings, 35 percent of adults said they have avoided going to events with large crowds, like music festivals, and 23 percent have stopped using public transit.
The study also found that 41 percent of adults said they have guns in their homes, with the Kaiser Family Foundation noting that 75 percent said the guns were "stored in ways that don't reflect some common gun-safety practices. Specifically, about half (52 percent) say that a gun in their home is stored in the same location as ammunition; more than 4 in 10 (44 percent) say that a gun is kept in an unlocked location; and more than a third (36 percent) say that a gun is stored loaded."
Dr. Céline Gounder, editor-at-large for public health at Kaiser Family Foundation, told CBS News the American Academy of Pediatrics and additional medical and public health groups "recommend storing your gun safely ... because kids are curious. And if they find a loaded, unlocked gun with ammunition ... they may well play with that. Gun deaths has now become the leading cause of death among kids and teens. And many of these are preventable deaths."
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