LETTER: Digging deeper on U.S. firearm deaths

John T. Wilson Las Vegas August 14, 2026 - 9:00 pm In her Sunday letter, Sherry Hobbs states that roughly 45,000 firearm deaths occur each year in the United States. She suggests that many of these deaths involve individuals who lose their temper after a few drinks and have easy access to a gun, characterizing them as homicides. That claim is inaccurate. Of the approximately 45,000 firearm deaths annually, more than 27,000 are suicides, leaving the number of firearm homicides near 15,000. The deeper flaw lies in the assumption that stricter legal barriers to gun purchases will resolve the issue. Numerous statutes already regulate the lawful acquisition of firearms. Criminals, however, typically obtain weapons through illegal channels, just as they obtain illicit drugs. If legislative measures could eliminate gun homicides, the same logic should have curbed the nation’s overdose crisis, which claims about 79,000 lives each year despite many of the implicated substances being illegal or tightly controlled. The United States spends roughly $45 billion annually enforcing drug laws, yet illegal narcotics remain readily available. This demonstrates that additional legislation alone does not deter those already inclined to break the law from obtaining prohibited substances. Efforts to reduce both firearm and drug‑related deaths must focus on viable strategies, grounded in a clear understanding of the underlying problems.