Jeff Schwaner

jschwaner@newsleader.com

[Editors note: This story includes updated numbers based on 2015 fatality information from the Center for Disease Control and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and removes numbers based on statistics from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.]

There are probably no two symbols of American freedom more entwined with the statistics of American death than guns and cars.



In 2014 Virginia joined 20 other states in which gun deaths exceeded motor vehicle fatalities. In 2015 the trend continued, with guns caused 946 deaths compared to 753 motor vehicle-related deaths, according to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.



So does this mean gun owners are more deadly than car owners?



The local numbers for Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro provide mixed messages.



In contrast to the statewide numbers, automobiles still claimed more lives in 2016 here than guns. Guns were the cause of death for 15 area people in 2016, while 21 area residents lost their lives in automobile-related incidents.



What about those gun deaths?



The 15 gun deaths in our area come out roughly to 12.5 per 100,000 people. This is actually higher than the 2015 state average of 11.3 per 100,000.

The 21 car deaths, or 17.5 per 100,000 people, almost double the 2015 state average of 8.9 per 100,000.



So while guns lead to fewer deaths than cars in our area, guns appear to be more deadly here than elsewhere in the state. The News Leader would like your input in a series exploring gun ownership in the Valley. Do you own a gun to hunt? For self-defense and family security? For sport and marksmanship?



If you’re the owner of any kind of firearm and would like to share your point of view, contact editor Jeff Schwaner at jschwaner@newsleader.com or call him at 540-430-0757. This story is not about the gun debate. It's about how our neighbors use guns in their everyday lives -- as tools, for protection, for sport.

Behind the numbers

Locally, over half of the auto fatalities involved people not using their seatbelts or not properly securing their passengers. In a similar way, there's a number behind the number of gun-related deaths that can only be explored by looking at the victims of gun violence and their families.

We’d like to talk to our neighbors who’ve lost a family member to gun violence. It’s a less visible type of suffering, because nationwide 60% of gun deaths are not homicides but suicides. Many families suffer these losses silently because of the stigma of suicide. Those percentages are even more pronounced here in our readership area.



Of the 15 gun-related deaths in our area last year, 13 were suicides.



The News Leader does not usually report suicides. But we think the impact of these losses on our community, when considered as over 80% of gun deaths in the area, is worth discussing. Your voices are also important. Please consider helping to contribute to this report.





We think an accurate portrait of how guns are used in our area can only be done by going behind and beyond the numbers. If we’re statistically not safer than the rest of the state with our guns, what can we do differently? Or is that number misleading in some way? If our guns cause more suicides than the state average, what can we do to change that? Or is that not about guns at all? Add your voice to this story, which will be published in The News Leader in the coming weeks.