The number of gun-related deaths in the U.S. reached a record-high in 2017.
The latest data from the CDC says nearly 40,000 people died from firearm-related injuries in 2017. That breaks down to nearly 109 deaths a day and an almost 3 percent increase from 2016.
The CDC reports a gun death rate of 12.2 per 100,000 people in 2017. According to The Trace, a gun-focused news outlet, that's the highest rate since 1996.
Suicides made up 60 percent of those deaths, a 4 percent increase from the year before. According to the Educational Fund To Stop Gun Violence, men made up 86 percent of gun suicides in 2017, with 91 percent of them being white.
Homicides were the second leading cause of gun deaths at nearly 37 percent. Eighty-four percent of firearm homicide victims were men, and 59 percent of them were black.
The number of U.S. gun-related deaths has been rising annually since 2015. And 2017 also saw 11 recorded mass shootings, more than any other year in U.S. history.
If you need to talk to someone, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
