About 40,000 people in the U.S. died by guns in 2017 — the highest number of gun deaths in nearly 40 years, according to an analysis of data from the CDC by CNN.
A similar analysis was first conducted by nonprofit gun policy advocacy group Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.
CNN recreated that analysis and found 39,773 people died by guns last year — an increase of over 10,000 deaths from 28,874 deaths in 1999.
CDC statisticians told CNN these numbers are correct and show gun deaths have reached a record high going back to at least 1979, the year firearm deaths were first coded in mortality data.
CNN's analysis also found 23,854 people died from suicide by guns last year, the highest number in 18 years. In 1999, there were 16,599 suicides by guns.