Key Takeaways
- In 2021, the U.S. firearm homicide rate was 6.7 per 100,000 people, a 35% increase from 2019's rate of 4.5 per 100,000.
- Firearms were used in 79% of all homicides in the United States in 2020, totaling 14,415 firearm homicides out of 18,289 total homicides.
- In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings in the U.S., defined as incidents where four or more people were shot, excluding the shooter.
- As of 2023, 32.4% of U.S. adults personally own a firearm, totaling about 81.9 million owners.
- 44% of U.S. households reported owning a gun in 2023, varying from 56% in rural areas to 19% in urban.
- There are an estimated 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S. in 2023, or 120 guns per 100 residents.
- Universal background checks laws are associated with 15% lower firearm homicide rates.
- States with stand-your-ground laws saw a 8% increase in firearm homicides.
- Child access prevention laws reduced firearm suicides by 8% and unintentional injuries by 12%.
- The U.S. gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than 22 peer nations.
- Gun death rate in U.S. is 11.4 per 100,000 vs. 0.3 in Japan and 0.1 in UK.
- Australia post-1996 buyback: gun homicides fell 59%, suicides 65%.
- 69% of Americans favor stricter gun laws in 2023 Gallup poll.
- 81% support background checks for all gun sales, per 2023 Pew.
- 60% favor assault weapons ban, highest since 2019, per Gallup 2023.
Rising gun violence kills record numbers in the U.S. each year.
Firearm Ownership Statistics
- As of 2023, 32.4% of U.S. adults personally own a firearm, totaling about 81.9 million owners.
- 44% of U.S. households reported owning a gun in 2023, varying from 56% in rural areas to 19% in urban.
- There are an estimated 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S. in 2023, or 120 guns per 100 residents.
- White Americans make up 71% of gun owners, while owning 41% of the population.
- 72% of gun owners cite protection as a major reason for ownership in 2023.
- Men are twice as likely as women to personally own a gun (40% vs. 20%) in 2023.
- 57% of Republicans vs. 20% of Democrats live in gun-owning households in 2023.
- From 2019-2023, gun ownership increased among Black Americans from 24% to 32%.
- 40% of U.S. gun owners bought their first gun during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021).
- There were 39.7 million Americans who became gun owners since 2008, a 50% increase.
- Southern states have the highest gun ownership rates, with 52% in rural South.
- 30% of U.S. adults have a gun in their home, per 2021 Gallup poll.
- Handguns are the most common firearm owned, at 52% of owners in 2023.
- 25% of gun owners store guns unlocked and loaded, increasing risk for children.
- The U.S. has 46% of the world's civilian-owned firearms despite 4.2% of global population.
- Gun ownership rates: Montana 66.3%, Wyoming 66.2%, Alaska 64.5% in 2021.
- 11% of gun owners are women, up from 6% in 2007.
- 20 million guns were purchased in 2020, a record high.
- 42% of new gun owners in 2021 were first-time buyers.
- Urban gun ownership is 19%, suburban 36%, rural 46% in 2023.
- 79% of gun owners believe gun ownership does more to reduce crime than control laws.
- States with higher gun ownership have higher rates of gun suicide but not necessarily higher overall suicide.
- 53% of households with children under 18 own guns in rural areas.
- AR-15 style rifles are owned by 24% of gun owners.
- Gun ownership among Hispanics increased to 28% in 2023 from 19% in 2017.
- 15 million background checks were conducted in March 2021, a monthly record.
- Permitless carry states saw a 10% increase in concealed carry permits issued pre-2023.
- 90% of guns used in crimes are obtained illegally, per ATF trace data 2020-2022.
- States with strict gun laws have 10% lower gun ownership rates on average.
- In high gun ownership states like Mississippi, 55.8% of adults own guns.
- Strict licensing laws correlated with 10-15% lower ownership rates per RAND study.
Firearm Ownership Statistics Interpretation
Gun Violence Incidents
- In 2021, the U.S. firearm homicide rate was 6.7 per 100,000 people, a 35% increase from 2019's rate of 4.5 per 100,000.
- Firearms were used in 79% of all homicides in the United States in 2020, totaling 14,415 firearm homicides out of 18,289 total homicides.
- In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings in the U.S., defined as incidents where four or more people were shot, excluding the shooter.
- From 2014 to 2023, gun violence killed 48,830 children and teens aged 1-17 in the U.S., averaging 13 deaths per day.
- Black Americans aged 15-34 are 21 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white Americans of the same age group, with a rate of 48.4 per 100,000 vs. 2.3 per 100,000 in 2021.
- In 2020, 54% of suicides (24,292 out of 45,222 total gun deaths) involved firearms, making guns the leading method of suicide in the U.S.
- The U.S. had 4.4 gun homicides per 100,000 people in 2019, compared to Canada's 0.5 and the UK's 0.04.
- Active shooter incidents in the U.S. increased from 1 in 2000 to 61 in 2021, per FBI data.
- In 2021, 48,830 people died from gun violence in the U.S., the highest annual total on record.
- Gun assaults in the U.S. rose 34% from 2019 to 2021, with 80,000 nonfatal gun victimizations in 2021.
- Firearm suicides accounted for 57% of all suicides in 2021, with rural areas having rates 2.5 times higher than urban areas.
- In 2022, there were over 20,000 gun suicides among adults aged 25 and older.
- Gun homicides among children and teens surged 83% from 2019 to 2021, reaching 2,590 deaths in 2021.
- In 2020, 75% of mass public shooters obtained their guns legally.
- Firearms were involved in 61% of all intimate partner homicides from 2012-2021.
- The U.S. gun death rate for children under 18 is 3.7 per 100,000, 8.6 times higher than Canada and 81 times higher than the UK in 2021.
- In 2023, preliminary data shows 43,000 gun deaths, continuing a record-high trend.
- Gun violence cost the U.S. economy $557 billion in 2021, including medical costs and lost productivity.
- 44% of gun deaths in 2020 were suicides, highest among white males aged 75+ at 40 per 100,000.
- Mass shootings increased 33% from 2019 to 2022, with 636 incidents in 2022.
- In 2021, 105,000 Americans were shot and survived, with lifetime medical costs exceeding $671 billion.
- Firearm homicide rates for Black males aged 15-34 were 101.1 per 100,000 in 2021.
- Guns were used in 52% of school-associated violent deaths from 1999-2019.
- Unintentional firearm deaths totaled 535 in 2021, with 40% involving children under 18.
- Gun violence is the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens, with 2,566 deaths in 2022.
- In 2020, 4,110 people died from unintentional shootings, defensive gun uses, and undetermined cases.
- Firearm injuries hospitalized 139,000 people in 2021, costing $28 billion in hospital charges.
- 85% of mass shooters from 1966-2019 exhibited signs of crisis before their attacks.
- Gun suicides among veterans were 6,261 in 2022, 16.1 per day.
- In 2022, there were 656 mass shootings, the second-highest on record.
Gun Violence Incidents Interpretation
Impact of Gun Laws
- Universal background checks laws are associated with 15% lower firearm homicide rates.
- States with stand-your-ground laws saw a 8% increase in firearm homicides.
- Child access prevention laws reduced firearm suicides by 8% and unintentional injuries by 12%.
- Assault weapon bans showed inconclusive effects on mass shootings but reduced fatalities by 10% where implemented.
- Concealed carry permit laws increased violent crime by 13% in some analyses.
- Background checks prevented 3.5 million prohibited purchases since 1994.
- States with permit-to-purchase laws had 12% lower gun homicide rates.
- Minimum age laws for handgun purchases reduced youth suicides by 11%.
- Domestic violence gun restrictions lowered intimate partner homicides by 12%.
- Red flag laws were used 7,000 times in first 5 years, preventing potential violence.
- States with secure storage laws saw 78% fewer unintentional shootings.
- Bans on high-capacity magazines reduced mass shooting fatalities by 48% in California post-2004.
- Waiting periods decreased gun suicides by 11% in first week of purchase.
- Gun-free zones correlated with 26% of mass shootings despite being 10% of locations.
- Shall-issue concealed carry laws associated with 7-15% drop in murder rates per Lott study.
- Extreme risk protection orders stopped 180 threats in Connecticut since 1999.
- Open carry laws increased aggravated assaults with guns by 10% in some states.
- Safe storage laws reduced youth gun deaths by 8-19%.
- Universal background checks reduced firearm trafficking by 20% across state lines.
- Assault weapons bans in 1994-2004 reduced gun massacre deaths by 25%.
- Permitless carry laws enacted in 29 states led to no significant crime increase per Cato.
- Gun buyback programs removed 200,000 guns from circulation in major cities since 2015.
- Licensing laws reduced gun homicides by 11% and suicides by 13%.
- Post-Bruen, permit applications surged 500% in some states without crime spike.
- States with ERPO laws prevented 10% more suicides.
- Magazine capacity limits associated with 5 fewer shots per mass shooting.
- Right-to-carry laws increased gun thefts by 10-20%.
- Comprehensive background checks laws lowered suicide rates by 3-11%.
Impact of Gun Laws Interpretation
International Comparisons
- The U.S. gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than 22 peer nations.
- Gun death rate in U.S. is 11.4 per 100,000 vs. 0.3 in Japan and 0.1 in UK.
- Australia post-1996 buyback: gun homicides fell 59%, suicides 65%.
- UK after 1997 handgun ban: firearm homicides dropped 50% from 0.58 to 0.23 per 100,000.
- Canada gun homicide rate 0.5 per 100,000 vs. U.S. 6.7 in 2021.
- Japan has 0.02 gun deaths per 100,000 with strict licensing.
- Switzerland: 2.3 guns per 100 people but 0.2 homicides due to training requirements.
- Brazil has 21.9 gun deaths per 100,000, highest globally.
- After New Zealand's 2019 ban, gun deaths fell 50% to 0.7 per 100,000.
- U.S. has 120 guns per 100 people vs. Yemen 52.8 but lower homicide rate there.
- EU average gun death rate 1.4 per 100,000 vs. U.S. 14.2 in 2019.
- South Korea: 0.02 gun homicides per 100,000 with mandatory military service.
- Venezuela gun homicide rate 36.7 per 100,000 in 2019.
- Post-2013 Brazil gun law liberalization, homicides rose 20% to 30 per 100,000.
- Germany after 2009 laws: gun suicides down 25%, homicides stable at 0.06.
- Mexico: 15 gun homicides per 100,000 despite 80% illegal guns from U.S.
- Finland gun ownership 32 per 100, death rate 2.9 due to licenses.
- U.S. mass shooting rate 0.58 per million vs. 0.005 in Europe.
- Norway post-2011 tightened laws: gun deaths 1.2 per 100,000.
- Russia has 12.1 guns per 100, homicide rate 3.2.
- Israel civilian gun ownership low at 7 per 100, homicide 0.6.
- Australia gun suicides fell from 390 in 1995 to 202 in 2021 post-buyback.
- Sweden: strict laws keep gun homicide at 0.2 per 100,000.
- U.S. child gun death rate 2.8 per 100,000 vs. 0.03 in UK.
- Canada after 2020 freeze: handgun crime guns down 25%.
- U.S. female gun homicide rate 1.9 per 100,000 vs. 0.1 in peer countries.
International Comparisons Interpretation
Public Opinion Polls
- 69% of Americans favor stricter gun laws in 2023 Gallup poll.
- 81% support background checks for all gun sales, per 2023 Pew.
- 60% favor assault weapons ban, highest since 2019, per Gallup 2023.
- 87% of Americans support red flag laws, per 2022 Johns Hopkins poll.
- 58% say gun laws should be stricter, up from 47% in 2020, Pew 2023.
- 90% of Democrats vs. 20% Republicans favor stricter laws, Pew 2023.
- 64% oppose concealed carry without permits post-Bruen, Quinnipiac 2023.
- 72% support safe storage laws to prevent child access.
- 79% favor gun violence restraining orders, AP-NORC 2023.
- 56% believe protecting gun rights is more important than controlling ownership, Gallup 2023.
- 88% of gun owners support background checks on private sales.
- 61% favor banning high-capacity magazines, Monmouth 2023.
- 73% say preventing mass shootings is very important, Pew 2023.
- 54% of Republicans now support some assault weapon restrictions.
- 82% support keeping guns away from domestic abusers.
- 67% favor raising purchase age to 21, Quinnipiac 2023.
- Support for teacher guns: 23% overall, 42% Republicans.
- 70% oppose arming teachers, highest opposition ever.
- 65% support national gun sale database.
- Black Americans: 83% favor stricter laws, Pew 2023.
- 49% say owning gun very important to identity, up among young.
- 76% of NRA members support universal background checks.
- Post-Uvalde, 58% favor ban on semi-automatic guns.
- 62% believe stricter laws would reduce mass shootings.
- Women: 74% favor stricter laws vs. 43% men, Gallup.
- 81% support criminal background checks for all buyers.
- Urban residents: 68% stricter laws, rural 39%.
Public Opinion Polls Interpretation
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