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Report: Gun Violence Costs Oregon $2.6 Billion Annually

John Sepulvado/OPB

Every year, about 63 gun-related homicides, 378 gun-related suicides, 160 nonfatal shootings and 138 unintentional shootings happen all over Oregon. 

The gun violence carries a heavy price tag, tallying up to an annual grand total of $2.6 billion, according to a report by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 

“We often hear about the heartbreak and physical pain these shootings cause, but there is another aspect of the gun violence epidemic that doesn’t receive as much attention: the overwhelming financial cost,” report authors said. 

The organization, formed in 1993 after a mass shooting in California, joined forces with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in 2016 to research gun violence, draft gun policy and defend gun laws. 

Read the whole story at the Statesman Journal.