That figure only accounts for initial health costs of hospital care for people who are shot, according to a report released by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. According to the report, gun-related injuries each year cause 30,000 initial in-patient hospital stays, each resulting in an average cost of $31,000 and 50,000 emergency room visits averaging $1,500 each.
More than 300 Americans are shot each day, and more than 110 are killed by gunfire. For survivors, healthcare bills typically surge more than $25,000 in the first month following a shooting and then average about $2,500 a month for an entire year after the injury, the committee found.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures show that fatal firearm injuries costs totaled $290 million in 2020 and cost an average of $9,000 per patient.
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