Joe Rogan weighs in on "exaggerated" numbers of gun violence in the US - "A gigantic percentage of them are suicides"

Over the past several months, Joe Rogan has become one of the most popular and polarizing figures on the internet, thanks to his outspoken and unapologetic approach to conversations and discussions about all kinds of topics. He recently made headlines once again with his stance on gun control following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

In the latest episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator invited lawyer and gun rights activist Colion Noir to discuss gun ownership and gun violence in the US. During the conversation, Noir noted that a significant portion of gun violence in America comes from the inner cities. Rogan chimed in by adding that the vast majority of gun deaths in the United States come from suicides as opposed to homicides or mass shootings:

"The numbers are crazy. When people talk about gun violence in this country... when you look at gun deaths, a gigantic percentage of them are suicides, right?"

Noir replied by saying that up to 65% of gun deaths in America can be attributed to suicides.

"My main concern is people harming other people. So when we look at the numbers of gun violence, it's always exaggerated because they don't include the fact that [suicides account for a large portion]..." continued Joe Rogan.

Colion Noir added that considering how many civilian gun owners exist in America, the country would be the world leader in suicides, but it isn't. Noir used this to drive his point that the issue with suicides, which account for nearly 65% of all gun deaths according to him, is purely mental health-related and not gun-related; a take Joe Rogan agreed with.

Rogan and Noir then discussed other forms of gun violence like accidental shootings and officer-related shootings along with gang violence, which were all clubbed under the same banner of gun deaths.

Watch the clip below:

Catch the full episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with Colion Noir on Spotify below:

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Is Joe Rogan right about the majority of gun deaths being caused by suicide?

Factually, Rogan appears to be right about suicides accounting for more gun deaths than homicides in the United States. As per a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the CDC, FBI, and other sources, 54% of all gun deaths in 2020 were attributed to suicide. 43% were caused by murder, and 3% were all other forms of gun deaths, like unintentional shootings or incidents involving law enforcement.

That said, per the same report, active shooter incidents have become more frequent in the US over the last few years. 2020 outdid its preceding years with 40 recorded incidents. Additionally, gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in America.