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Non-fatal gunshot injuries during criminal acts in Mexico, 2013–2019
  1. Eugenio Weigend Vargas1,
  2. Carlos Perez Ricart2
  1. 1Gun Violence Prevention, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC, USA
  2. 2International Studies, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Ciudad de México, Mexico
  1. Correspondence to Dr Eugenio Weigend Vargas, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC 20005, USA; eugeniowv{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Introduction As the volume of firearms (legal and illegal) in Mexico grows, gun violence has become a major public health challenge. While studies have focused on gun-related homicides and robberies, there is a dearth of research addressing non-fatal gunshot injuries. At the same time, official government sources report limited information and undercount these injuries.

Objective The objective of this article is threefold. First, to provide data of non-fatal gunshot injuries sustained during crimes in Mexico; second, to estimate their initial individual healthcare costs; finally, to compare those costs to those resulting from other forms of injuries. This article contributes to discussions on gun violence in Mexico and its impact on public health.

Methods We analysed Mexico’s National Crime Victimization Survey from 2014 to 2020.

Findings We estimated that there were approximately 150 415 non-fatal gunshot injuries during crimes perpetrated from 2013 to 2019. We found that most non-fatal criminal gunshot injuries occur during a robbery and that victims tend to be men and young people between 18 and 35 years of age. Most of these injuries occur in urban areas and public spaces. While non-fatal gun-related injuries are not as common during crimes as other non-fatal injuries, their initial individual healthcare expenses are significantly higher. Crimes involving gun-related injuries reported an average expense of 16 643 pesos and crimes involving other forms of injuries reported an average of 1281 pesos. This discrepancy highlights the health burden associated with gun violence.

  • firearm
  • costs
  • public health

Data availability statement

Data comes from Mexico's ENVIPE surveys. They are publicaly available.

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Data availability statement

Data comes from Mexico's ENVIPE surveys. They are publicaly available.

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Footnotes

  • Contributors EWV acting as guarantor.

    EWV and CPR contributed to conception and design of study. EWV contributed to acquisition and analysis of data.

    EWV and CPR contributed to revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.