The Maryland Department of Health Thursday to reduce gun violence in the state and track firearm data. 

The effort comes as Maryland ranked 17th lowest among U.S. states for a five-year firearm fatality rate between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the department. 

Maryland's gun violence prevention plan 

The state is taking a public health approach to preventing gun violence, with a three-part plan that involves assessing crime prevention strategies, responding to and preventing acts of violence and supporting survivors and perpetrators in their mental and physical healing. 

The goal of the plan is to improve coordination and trust between the state and local agencies and strengthen investments in gun violence prevention. 

The first pillar of the plan, Prevention and Assessment, will create violence reduction councils that will include local leaders, researchers and criminal justice officials. The teams will review firearm data and homicide cases to develop prevention strategies. 

The councils will also support the implementation of Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPOs) and Domestic Violence Protective Orders (DVPOs), which are court orders that temporarily require a person to turn over their firearms. 

The second pillar, Intervention and Response, aims to interrupt the cycle of violence in communities. Under this part of the plan, community leaders will be trained to engage with at-risk individuals to prevent violence with the help of law enforcement. 

The pillar focuses on providing resources to communities with high rates of violence, including job training or other programs that promote growth and development. 

The second pillar also focuses on providing techniques to hospital and trauma center staff on how to care for gunshot patients and therapy to prevent retaliatory violence. 

The final pillar, Community Resiliance and Healing, aims to invest in communities that are most impacted by gun violence. Along with financial and emotional support for victims, this pillar would also guide investments into neighborhood revitalization programs, as environmental factors can also impact the likelihood of gun violence. 

Along with the detailed plan, the State Department of Health also to track data on individuals who are injured or killed by gun violence. The data will help teams generate improvements to gun laws. 

"Every day, we see how gun violence tragically impacts every community across the State of Maryland," said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani. "The data dashboard and preliminary state plan are much-needed, critical tools that will inform our public health and prevention efforts to reduce firearm violence across the state." 

Gun Violence in Maryland 

Maryland recorded a total of 734 firearm deaths in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those cases, 63% were homicides and 36% were suicides. 

The state's five-year firearm fatality rate of 3.4 per 100,000 people was just below the national average of 13.7 per 100,000 people, data shows. However, the five-year homicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people left Maryland with the 10th highest rate between 2019 and 2023. 

According to the health department's report, Baltimore City and Dorchester County had the highest gun violence rates, while Howard County had one of the lowest rates. 

"While Baltimore City's high rate of gun violence is striking, it is important to note that the city has seen a 24% reduction in its rate of firearm fatalities from 2021-2023," the report said. 

Data shows that Cecil, Washington and Worcester counties had the highest five-year rates of firearm suicides. Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard counties had the lowest rates. 

Overall, gun violence rates spiked in 2021 and declined slightly by 2023.