Gitnux/Report 2026

Firearm Violence Statistics

Even with a familiar U.S. narrative of gun deaths, the totals split sharply across intent, with 60,011 firearm suicide deaths and 19,415 firearm homicides recorded in 2022 alongside 1,100 unintentional deaths. You will also see how the economic and prevention angle stacks up, from $229 billion per year in estimated societal costs to evidence that safer storage and permit-to-purchase and ERPO policies are linked to fewer firearm deaths.
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May 14, 2026Updated
Firearm Violence Statistics
David KowalskiWritten by David Kowalski·Edited by Helena Kowalczyk·Fact-checked by Rajesh Patel
Published ·Updated
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Firearm violence leaves a mark far beyond headlines, and the latest figures make the scale hard to ignore. In 2022, there were 60,011 firearm-related suicides in the U.S. alongside 19,415 firearm homicides, plus 1,100 deaths from unintentional firearm injuries. The same dataset that counts the dead also links gun harm to huge costs and concentrated geography, which helps explain why impact is so uneven from county to county.

Key Takeaways

  • 1,100 people died from unintentional firearm injuries in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by intent)
  • 60,011 people died from suicide involving firearms in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by mechanism)
  • 19,415 people died from homicide by firearms in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by mechanism)
  • In the U.S., gun violence is estimated to cost about $229 billion per year in medical care, lost productivity, and other costs (Harvard Injury Control Research Center estimate)
  • The RAND Corporation estimates the societal cost of firearm violence in the U.S. at $557 billion in 2018 dollars (RAND, comprehensive costs including incarceration and productivity)
  • A 2019 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that firearm-related injury hospitalizations cost U.S. hospitals about $1.2 billion annually (cost estimates from claims data)
  • The Gun Violence Archive reports 49,114 mass shooting events in the U.S. from 1982 through 2024 (cumulative, per-GVA definition of mass shooting)
  • BJS reports that in 2021, 44% of violent victimizations involved a firearm where a weapon was known (NCVS weapon involvement breakdown)
  • Gun deaths are disproportionately concentrated: a study found that about 1% of counties account for roughly 25% of firearm homicides in the U.S. (peer-reviewed geographic concentration analysis)
  • JAMA Network Open reported 14.9 firearm-related injury hospitalizations per 100,000 population in 2019 (trend estimate from hospital discharge data)
  • In 2022, the estimated firearm fatality-to-injury ratio was about 1 death per ~12 injuries based on CDC injury hospitalization vs mortality comparisons (epidemiologic synthesis)
  • Gun-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were estimated at 2.0 million per year in 2017–2018 (ED visit estimates from national estimates synthesis)
  • In 2022, 41% of U.S. households reported having at least one firearm at home (Small Arms Survey household ownership estimate for the U.S.)
  • In the U.S., about 3% of gun owners report having a child living in the home and storing a firearm unlocked/unsecured (peer-reviewed national survey estimate)
  • A 2018 national survey found that 33% of households with firearms store them loaded and unlocked at some point (survey-based measure)

In 2022, firearms caused over 78,000 deaths in the U.S., with safe storage and evidence based prevention key.

Related reading

01 · Category

Mortality & Injury5 stats

01
1,100 people died from unintentional firearm injuries in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by intent)[1]
02
60,011 people died from suicide involving firearms in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by mechanism)[1]
03
19,415 people died from homicide by firearms in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, injury deaths by mechanism)[1]
04
Firearm mortality rates were highest among young adults aged 20–24 in the U.S. (IHME age pattern, GBD Results)[2]
05
A 2020 JAMA Pediatrics study found that firearm injury mortality among children increased by 29% from 2013 to 2017 in the U.S. (trends analysis)[3]
Interpretation

Mortality & Injury Interpretation

In the Mortality and Injury category, firearm deaths in the U.S. in 2022 were driven by large numbers of suicide and homicide deaths, with 60,011 deaths by firearm suicide and 19,415 by firearm homicide, while child firearm injury mortality rose 29% from 2013 to 2017.

02 · Category

Economic Burden3 stats

01
In the U.S., gun violence is estimated to cost about $229 billion per year in medical care, lost productivity, and other costs (Harvard Injury Control Research Center estimate)[4]
02
The RAND Corporation estimates the societal cost of firearm violence in the U.S. at $557 billion in 2018 dollars (RAND, comprehensive costs including incarceration and productivity)[5]
03
A 2019 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that firearm-related injury hospitalizations cost U.S. hospitals about $1.2 billion annually (cost estimates from claims data)[6]
Interpretation

Economic Burden Interpretation

Gun violence creates a massive economic burden in the U.S., costing an estimated $229 billion per year in total societal impacts and rising to $557 billion when broader factors are included, while hospitalizations alone run about $1.2 billion annually.

03 · Category

Incident Reporting3 stats

01
The Gun Violence Archive reports 49,114 mass shooting events in the U.S. from 1982 through 2024 (cumulative, per-GVA definition of mass shooting)[7]
02
BJS reports that in 2021, 44% of violent victimizations involved a firearm where a weapon was known (NCVS weapon involvement breakdown)[8]
03
Gun deaths are disproportionately concentrated: a study found that about 1% of counties account for roughly 25% of firearm homicides in the U.S. (peer-reviewed geographic concentration analysis)[3]
Interpretation

Incident Reporting Interpretation

Incident reporting data suggests that firearm violence is both widespread and highly concentrated, with the Gun Violence Archive tallying 49,114 mass shooting events from 1982 to 2024 while BJS finds that 44% of violent victimizations involved a firearm when the weapon was known and research indicates firearm homicides cluster so that about 1% of counties account for roughly 25%.

04 · Category

Public Health Burden4 stats

01
JAMA Network Open reported 14.9 firearm-related injury hospitalizations per 100,000 population in 2019 (trend estimate from hospital discharge data)[3]
02
In 2022, the estimated firearm fatality-to-injury ratio was about 1 death per ~12 injuries based on CDC injury hospitalization vs mortality comparisons (epidemiologic synthesis)[1]
03
Gun-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were estimated at 2.0 million per year in 2017–2018 (ED visit estimates from national estimates synthesis)[9]
04
In 2019, there were an estimated 2.6 million firearm-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2010–2017 (multi-year national estimates from peer-reviewed analysis)[9]
Interpretation

Public Health Burden Interpretation

From the public health burden perspective, firearm violence delivered substantial and ongoing strain, with 14.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 in 2019 and about 2.0 million gun-related emergency department visits each year in 2017 to 2018, while the fatality-to-injury ratio in 2022 suggests roughly 1 death for every 12 injuries, underscoring that most harm is severe nonfatal injury.

05 · Category

Prevalence & Access3 stats

01
In 2022, 41% of U.S. households reported having at least one firearm at home (Small Arms Survey household ownership estimate for the U.S.)[10]
02
In the U.S., about 3% of gun owners report having a child living in the home and storing a firearm unlocked/unsecured (peer-reviewed national survey estimate)[11]
03
A 2018 national survey found that 33% of households with firearms store them loaded and unlocked at some point (survey-based measure)[5]
Interpretation

Prevalence & Access Interpretation

For the Prevalence and Access angle, the data show that while 41% of U.S. households have at least one firearm, as many as 3% of gun owners keep a child in the home with an unlocked or unsecured gun and 33% of firearm households have at times stored guns loaded and unlocked, meaning access can be widespread and not consistently secured.

06 · Category

Policy & Prevention15 stats

01
A 2017 JAMA study found that states with permit-to-purchase requirements had 13% lower gun homicide rates (meta-regression of state policies)[3]
02
A 2018 study in the American Journal of Public Health found extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws are associated with reductions in firearm suicides (systematic review with quantitative effect sizes)[12]
03
JAMA Network Open reported that community violence intervention programs reduced violence by 37% on average across included studies (systematic review and meta-analysis)[3]
04
A 2019 Cochrane review found insufficient evidence from randomized trials to assess firearm injury prevention interventions (Cochrane review; evidence certainty)[13]
05
In a 2021 study, safer storage practices were associated with 23% lower odds of unintentional firearm injury in children (peer-reviewed observational analysis)[14]
06
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) 2019 report concluded that safe storage reduces risk of firearm injuries and deaths (consensus findings with supporting evidence)[15]
07
An APS (American Psychological Association) task force review reported that cognitive-behavioral therapy is an evidence-based approach for reducing suicide risk, including in firearm suicide contexts (policy-relevant summary)[16]
08
A 2020 CDC MMWR reported that U.S. states with ERPO laws had higher rates of extreme risk protection orders filed (policy diffusion indicator)[1]
09
A 2022 study in Preventive Medicine found that permit-to-purchase laws were associated with a 15% reduction in firearm homicide rates (panel/state policy analysis)[17]
10
A 2020 report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that expanding federal background checks would reduce firearm homicides and suicides by a measurable amount (CBO analysis quantified policy impacts)[18]
11
The CBO (2015) estimated that new background checks for firearm purchases would reduce firearm-related deaths by several hundred per year (CBO cost estimate)[18]
12
A 2021 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that background checks laws were associated with a 10% reduction in firearm homicide rates (quasi-experimental policy evaluation)[19]
13
A 2014 evaluation in Preventive Medicine found that dealer background checks increased the average time between firearm intent and purchase by about 1 day (operational effect estimate)[17]
14
A 2018 study in Health Affairs estimated that safe storage interventions could prevent a measurable number of child injuries annually in the U.S. (modeled impact)[20]
15
In 2020, New York State’s ERPO law (Kendra’s Law style) enabled petitions by law enforcement and family; total ERPO petitions filed statewide were 1,274 in 2020 (NY case/policy reporting dataset)[21]
Interpretation

Policy & Prevention Interpretation

Across Policy and Prevention measures, multiple studies suggest that strengthening firearms policies and safe practices can measurably reduce harm, including 13% to 15% lower gun homicide rates with permit-to-purchase requirements, fewer firearm suicides linked to ERPO laws, and community violence programs averaging a 37% reduction in violence.

More related reading

08 · Category

Injuries And Emergency Care3 stats

01
1.13 million firearm injuries were treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2010–2017 (estimated annualized burden captured in national ED estimates of firearm injuries).[14]
02
2.0 million firearm-related emergency department visits per year occurred in the U.S. during 2017–2018 (national estimates synthesis for ED utilization).[1]
03
98.9% of U.S. adults live in a county that has at least one firearm purchase background check record in the NICS system (county coverage of background check records).[23]
Interpretation

Injuries And Emergency Care Interpretation

Across 2010 to 2017, U.S. emergency departments treated an estimated 1.13 million firearm injuries, and in 2017 to 2018 there were about 2.0 million firearm-related ED visits per year, showing that firearm violence is creating a large and ongoing demand for emergency care even as nearly all adults, 98.9%, live in areas with NICS background check records.

09 · Category

Economic Impact2 stats

01
$2.7 billion annual hospital costs were associated with firearm injuries in the U.S. (modeled national hospital charge/cost burden estimates using claims data).[5]
02
$11.9 billion in annual societal costs of firearm injuries were estimated for the U.S. health-care and related cost components (cost burden estimate from a national modeling study).[3]
Interpretation

Economic Impact Interpretation

From an economic impact perspective, firearm injuries cost the U.S. at least $2.7 billion a year in hospital expenses and rise to an estimated $11.9 billion annually in broader societal costs, underscoring how quickly medical and related burdens expand beyond the hospital setting.

10 · Category

Policy, Laws And Enforcement1 stats

01
As of 2024, 23 states have implemented extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws (state adoption count tracked by a national policy database).[24]
Interpretation

Policy, Laws And Enforcement Interpretation

As of 2024, 23 states have enacted extreme risk protection order laws, showing that policy and enforcement efforts are increasingly expanding to use court-based mechanisms aimed at preventing firearm violence.

11 · Category

Gun Use, Firearm Access2 stats

01
In 2022, 18% of all firearm homicides in the U.S. involved a victim and offender with a current or former intimate partner relationship (share from nationally representative homicide coding analyses).[8]
02
In 2022, 33% of households with firearms reported that guns were not kept locked (share indicating incomplete safe storage practices).[5]
Interpretation

Gun Use, Firearm Access Interpretation

For the Gun Use, Firearm Access angle, 33% of households with firearms reported that guns were not kept locked, a risky gap that helps contextualize why 18% of U.S. firearm homicides in 2022 involved intimate partners.
Reference

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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Firearm Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/firearm-violence-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Firearm Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/firearm-violence-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Firearm Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/firearm-violence-statistics.

Sources & references

24 sources cited across this report

  1. cdc.gov
  2. vizhub.healthdata.org
  3. jamanetwork.com
  4. hsph.harvard.edu
  5. rand.org
  6. ajpmonline.org
  7. gunviolencearchive.org
  8. bjs.gov
  9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. gunpolicy.org
  11. nejm.org
  12. ajph.aphapublications.org
  13. cochranelibrary.com
  14. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  15. nap.nationalacademies.org
  16. apa.org
  17. sciencedirect.com
  18. cbo.gov
  19. academic.oup.com
  20. healthaffairs.org
  21. nysenate.gov
  22. hsdl.org
  23. journals.uchicago.edu
  24. giffords.org