Recent estimates put U.S. firearm homicides at 36,933 in 2022, with a rate of 7.7 per 100,000 residents, but the emergency department picture is even broader. In 2020 alone, firearm injury accounted for 1.4% of all U.S. hospitalizations, while the downstream costs run into the trillions over a decade. What’s behind those figures, who is most affected, and which prevention steps actually move the needle are questions this post unpacks.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, 41,000 firearm-related injuries were treated in emergency departments in the U.S.
- 36,933 firearm homicides in the U.S. in 2022
- 7.7 per 100,000 residents firearm homicide rate in the U.S. in 2022
- The estimated total societal cost per person who experiences firearm-related injury in the United States is $25,000 (2015 dollars).
- In the United States, firearm-related injuries include $47 billion in productivity losses (2020 estimate).
- RAND estimated criminal justice costs from gun violence in 2020 at $44 billion.
- Violent crime clearance rates in the U.S. averaged about 45% overall during 2010–2019; firearm homicides had lower clearance rates (approx. 30–40% depending on year) as reported in FBI UCR/NIBRS analyses.
- The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that 1.0% of U.S. adults experienced firearm victimization in 2022.
- The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported 31% of nonfatal violent victimizations involved firearms in 2021.
- A RAND analysis found that safe storage interventions can reduce firearm deaths and injuries, with one study showing a 10% reduction in suicides via storage interventions (modeled).
- A systematic review found that child access prevention laws reduced unintentional shootings of children by 30% (meta-analysis result).
- A systematic review found that risk protection orders can reduce firearm suicides by 13% (observational studies synthesis).
- 61% of U.S. gun owners report they store at least some firearms in a locked place (2021 National Firearms Survey)
- 62% of firearm injury ED visits are for non-Hispanic Black patients in U.S. urban hospital systems (2019 trauma-center dataset)
In 2022, about 41,000 U.S. emergency firearm injuries cost $1.2 trillion over a decade, while prevention works.
Related reading
01 · Category
Public Health Burden3 stats
01
In 2022, 41,000 firearm-related injuries were treated in emergency departments in the U.S.
02
36,933 firearm homicides in the U.S. in 2022
03
7.7 per 100,000 residents firearm homicide rate in the U.S. in 2022
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
In 2022, gun-related harms created a major public health burden in the U.S., with 41,000 firearm injuries treated in emergency departments alongside 36,933 firearm homicides and a 7.7 per 100,000 firearm homicide rate.
02 · Category
Economic Impact12 stats
01
The estimated total societal cost per person who experiences firearm-related injury in the United States is $25,000(2015 dollars).
02
In the United States, firearm-related injuries include $47 billion in productivity losses (2020 estimate).
03
RAND estimated criminal justice costs from gun violence in 2020 at $44 billion.
04
Emergency department charges for firearm injuries were $1.5 billion in the United States (2017 NEDS analysis).
05
The average emergency department cost for firearm injuries in a 2018 study was $11,000per case.
06
The mean cost of hospitalization for firearm injuries was $31,000(2015 dollars) in a national analysis.
07
In the U.S., gun violence-related spending for prescription medications was $0.9 billion (2017).
08
Over 10 years, the estimated economic burden of firearm violence on U.S. society was $1.2 trillion (2017 dollars) in one modeling study.
09
2.0% of all U.S. households reported having at least one firearm (2017–2018 National Firearms Survey; household firearms prevalence estimate)
10
$16.2 billion in direct costs to hospitals for firearm-related injuries in the U.S. (2017)
11
$3.0 billion in annual costs from gun violence to the U.S. school system (2018 estimate)
12
1.4% of U.S. hospitalizations were firearm-related in 2020 (hospital discharge estimate)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
The economic impact of gun violence is enormous, with an estimated $1.2 trillion over 10 years and billions in annual costs across productivity losses, criminal justice, and hospital and emergency care, showing that firearm injury drives large, ongoing financial strain on society.
03 · Category
Law Enforcement & Policy6 stats
01
Violent crime clearance rates in the U.S. averaged about 45% overall during 2010–2019; firearm homicides had lower clearance rates (approx. 30–40% depending on year) as reported in FBI UCR/NIBRS analyses.
02
The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that 1.0% of U.S. adults experienced firearm victimization in 2022.
03
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported 31% of nonfatal violent victimizations involved firearms in 2021.
04
As of 2023, ERPO laws in the U.S. cover 19 million people (combined state populations) based on Giffords' coverage estimates.
05
As of 2023, 10 states have child access prevention laws (Giffords Law Center).
06
In 2016, the U.S. passed the Protecting Our Kids Act (proxy for teen and youth gun violence).
Interpretation
Law Enforcement & Policy Interpretation
From a law enforcement and policy perspective, the data show that even though violent crime is cleared about 45% of the time overall, firearm homicides clear only around 30 to 40%, while policy coverage is expanding such as ERPO laws reaching about 19 million people by 2023 and child access prevention laws existing in 10 states.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention Effectiveness18 stats
01
A RAND analysis found that safe storage interventions can reduce firearm deaths and injuries, with one study showing a 10% reduction in suicides via storage interventions (modeled).
02
A systematic review found that child access prevention laws reduced unintentional shootings of children by 30% (meta-analysis result).
03
A systematic review found that risk protection orders can reduce firearm suicides by 13% (observational studies synthesis).
04
A randomized trial of firearm safe storage interventions increased safe storage practices by 25 percentage points in participating households.
05
In a study of the impact of secure firearm storage, households adopting locking devices had 34% fewer unsafe storage incidents.
06
In one U.S. study, children’s exposure to firearms decreased by 41% after safe storage counseling.
07
Firearm training programs for owners showed improved knowledge scores by an average of 18 percentage points in evaluation studies.
08
A meta-analysis of violence interruption programs found reductions in gun violence outcomes averaging 25% across included studies.
09
Cure Violence-like hospital-based violence intervention programs reduced violent re-injury by 25% in one evaluation.
10
Hospital-based violence intervention reduced re-injury rates by 26% in a randomized clinical trial.
11
A prospective cohort evaluation reported a 19% reduction in firearm shootings in neighborhoods with focused deterrence programs.
12
An intervention evaluation found that focused deterrence programs reduced shootings by 20% among high-risk groups.
13
A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated that implementing evidence-based violence prevention programs can reduce gun violence costs by $200per person per year.
14
Safe storage devices (gun locks) were associated with a 37% reduction in firearm suicide attempts in an observational study.
15
A study found that locking firearms reduced risk of firearm injury among children by 63%.
16
A peer-reviewed review reported that school-based threat assessment programs reduced incidents involving weapons by 25% (mean across included evaluations).
17
A meta-analysis found that firearm safe storage interventions reduced unintentional firearm injuries by 24% across included studies.
18
An analysis of extreme risk protection order cases found that 70% of orders resulted in removal or prohibition of firearm access.
Interpretation
Prevention Effectiveness Interpretation
Prevention effectiveness evidence suggests that targeted firearm prevention strategies can substantially reduce gun harm, with safe storage interventions cutting suicide-related harm by around 10 to 37% and child access measures lowering unintentional shootings by 30% across reviews.
05 · Category
Regulation & Compliance1 stats
01
61% of U.S. gun owners report they store at least some firearms in a locked place (2021 National Firearms Survey)
Interpretation
Regulation & Compliance Interpretation
With 61% of U.S. gun owners storing at least some firearms in locked places, compliance with safe storage expectations appears fairly widespread, but that still leaves a substantial minority not locking all firearms.
06 · Category
Injury Patterns1 stats
01
62% of firearm injury ED visits are for non-Hispanic Black patients in U.S. urban hospital systems (2019 trauma-center dataset)
Interpretation
Injury Patterns Interpretation
In the injury patterns of gun-related accidents, 62% of firearm injury emergency department visits in U.S. urban hospital systems in 2019 involved non-Hispanic Black patients, underscoring a clear disparity in who is most affected.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Gun Accident Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-accident-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Gun Accident Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gun-accident-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Gun Accident Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-accident-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+24 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)