SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – In an effort to combat the ongoing public health crisis of firearm violence, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has introduced a new, data-driven tool aimed at providing in-depth insights into violent deaths and firearm-related injuries across the state. The interactive dashboard is designed to help shape targeted prevention and intervention strategies.
The dashboard is divided into two sections: Illinois Firearm Injury Rates and Illinois Violent Deaths. It includes detailed data on the types of incidents (such as homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries), the weapons used, and the locations of victims. “Firearm violence is a public health crisis that requires public health solutions,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the IDPH. “Modernizing how we gather and use data is critical to finding holistic solutions that address firearm violence in a comprehensive way. This dashboard is a key part of that effort, and we’re excited to partner with local and statewide leaders to leverage it for safer, healthier communities.”
Data for the dashboard comes from two public health surveillance systems funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The dashboard has already revealed several concerning trends about firearm violence in Illinois: Men are overwhelmingly the victims of fatal and non-fatal firearm incidents, accounting for 89% of all firearm-related deaths. The dashboard also highlights the disproportionate impact of gun violence on communities of color, with Black residents more than ten times as likely to suffer a non-fatal firearm injury compared to their white counterparts.
Notably, the dashboard shows that firearm homicides in Illinois spiked in 2020 and 2021, a pattern also observed nationwide. Firearms were involved in 84% of homicide deaths, 36% of suicides, and 57% of all violent deaths among minors from 2015 to 2022.
While currently focused on firearm injuries, the IDPH hopes to expand the dashboard in the future to include other public health concerns, such as sexual assault and domestic violence.