NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The impact of gun violence is weighing heavily on communities all across the nation. A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found more than half of American families say they've been affected somehow.
From those surveyed 19 percent said they lost a family member to gun violence, which includes homicides and suicides, 21 percent had been threatened with a gun at some point and17 percent had witnessed someone being injured in a shooting.
In all, 54 percent said they or a family member have had one of these experiences.
The study also found that gun violence is disproportionately affecting people of color. About a third of Black adults had witnessed someone being shot.
All of this being released as the CDC recently listed guns as the leading cause of death for children and teens.
The rising numbers come as Governor Bill Lee recently proposed a type of red flag law and signed an executive order expanding background checks.
