Data: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Chart: John Frank/Axios
Gun deaths reached a 40-year high in Colorado in 2021, state data shows.
Why it matters: The data — along with recent shootings at schools and an LGBTQ nightclub — helps explain why gun violence moved to center stage in Colorado and spurred a major legislative package of firearm restrictions now sitting on the governor's desk.
By the numbers: Nearly 23,500 people in the state died from firearms from 1980 to 2021, an analysis of state data by the Colorado Sun found.
The death rate per 100,000 reached 18.2 in 2021, well above the previous modern record of 16.3 in 1981.
Zoom in: Three-quarters of gun deaths in Colorado are suicides, totaling about 17,300 since 1980.
People between the ages of 25 and 44 account for the largest group of firearm deaths in recent years.
85% of those killed by a gun are men.
What to watch: The number of people killed by guns is expected to increase by roughly 1,000 when 2022 numbers are finalized soon.