Graph: American Deaths in Terrorism vs. Gun Violence

Posted: Oct 2, 2015 / 04:47 AM PDT

Updated: Oct 2, 2015 / 04:47 AM PDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

During his presidency, President Barack Obama has had to deliver statements on gun violence 15 times.

After a gunman opened fire at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and injuring seven, a visibly upset Obama said the shootings were becoming all too routine.

The gunman also died, although it’s unclear whether he was shot by police or committed suicide.

“The reporting is routine,” he said. “My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We’ve become numb to this.”

He then asked news organizations to tally up the number of Americans killed through terrorist attacks in the last decade and compare it with the number of Americans who have died in gun violence.

Using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we found that from 2004 and 2013, 316,545 people died by firearms on U.S. soil. (2013 is the most recent year CDC data for deaths by firearms is available.)

According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas as a result of incidents of terrorism from 2004 to 2013 was 277.

In addition, we compiled all terrorism incidents inside the U.S.* and found that between 2004 and 2013, there were 36 people killed in domestic acts of terrorism. This brings the total to 313.

A request from @POTUS: American deaths in terrorism vs. gun violence in one graph: http://t.co/vrBwlKmnaJ pic.twitter.com/ZYPKKjXnh4

— CNN (@CNN) October 2, 2015