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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Jeff Asher

Newly purchased firearms may play a role in US murder surge, data suggests

A man stands at a counter in a gun shop holding a firearm as if ready to shoot.
Newly purchased firearms may have had a role in the nationwide increase in murders. Photograph: Brittainy Newman/AP

Murder rose at an unprecedented rate in the United States in 2020 and probably rose again in 2021, but concrete answers about why this surge occurred have been hard to come by.

New data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) provides enticing clues regarding the potential role of newly purchased firearms in the nationwide increase in murders.

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