While this is a
news story from a few months ago, it seems rather relevant right now. From CNN:
American deaths in terrorism vs. gun violence in one graph
October 3, 2016
Using numbers from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2001 to
2014, 440,095 people died by firearms on US soil. (2014 is the most recent year
for which the CDC has data for deaths by firearms.) This data covered all
manners of death, including homicide, accident and suicide.
According to the US
State Department, the number of US citizens killed overseas as
a result of incidents of terrorism from 2001 to 2014 was 369.
In addition, we
compiled all terrorism incidents inside the United States and
found that between 2001 and 2014, there were 3,043 people killed in domestic
acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 3,412.
Possible questions:
1) How many years have been included?
2) Why is this starting point relevant?
3) What percentage of the deaths by terrorism took place
in 2001?
4) What percentage of the deaths by firearms occurred in
2014?
5a) Of all of the deaths in 2014, what percentage of them
involved terrorism?
5b) Rewrite part (a) in the form “1 in ###”
6) What percentage of the terrorism incidents took place
on US soil?
7) What other questions can you ask/answer?
Answers:
1) How many years have been included? 14 years (not 2014 – 2001 = 13).
2) Why is this starting point relevant? The September 11th attacks took
place in 2001.
3) What percentage of the deaths by terrorism took place
in 2001? 87.6%
4) What percentage of the deaths by firearms occurred in
2014? 7.6%
5a) Of all of the deaths in 2014, what percentage of them
involved terrorism? 0.095%
5b) 1 in 1050
6) What percentage of the terrorism incidents took place
on US soil? 89%
