.Police stand near the body of a man that was shot and killed near Maracana Stadium after the opening ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
Guns kill. The impacts of a bullet on human bone and tissue can be devastating. Survivors face lasting physical and psychological damage. If every gun death is tragic, then Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a tragedy of monumental dimensions. The situation is all the more horrific since most gun deaths are entirely preventable.
The good news it is that gun-related violence has declined in Rio de Janeiro since its peak in the 1990s. The bad news is that by global standards, the situation is dire. In 2015, there were 4,197 intentional homicides in the state of 15 million residents, a rate of roughly 25 murders per 100,000 people.
