University of Michigan Launches Real-Time Firearm Death Database
New Mi-FINDS database gives Michigan officials current firearm death data instead of waiting two years for federal statistics.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN — The University of Michigan has unveiled a new statewide database that provides near real-time data on firearm-related deaths across Michigan, addressing a significant gap in information available to public safety and health professionals.
The Michigan Firearm Injury Near Real-Time Data System, known as Mi-FINDS, offers current firearm death statistics compared to federal data that typically runs two years behind. The most recent information available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes from 2024.
Jessica Roche, managing director of the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, said the new system will enable local leaders to make informed decisions about resource allocation in their communities and neighborhoods.
Statewide Data Collection Challenges
Michigan operates under a decentralized medical examiner system, requiring researchers to gather information county by county. The institute continues working to obtain data from several counties, particularly in the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan regions.
This fragmented system previously made it difficult and costly for individual community organizations to compile comprehensive firearm death statistics on their own.
Comprehensive Death Data Included
The database encompasses all firearm-related fatalities, including both suicides and homicides. Roche emphasized the particular impact on rural communities throughout the state.
“Our rural counties here in Michigan are disproportionately affected by firearm suicides, and the populations in those counties are smaller, and so the rate is really high when there is a firearm death from suicide,” Roche said. “My biggest takeaway is that all of our communities, whether rural, urban, suburban, all across the state are affected by firearm death. And so there’s lots of possibilities here for us to really do something to prevent these deaths from occurring.”
Despite the new system’s capabilities, Roche noted that the CDC database remains the “gold standard” in firearm injury prevention research. However, the real-time nature of Mi-FINDS provides Michigan officials with more current information for immediate decision-making.
The University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention developed the system to bridge the information gap that previously limited timely responses to firearm violence trends across the state.
