While guns have now become the leading cause of death for America's children, this heartbreaking statistic is just one facet of a relentless national crisis that saw nearly 50,000 lives lost to firearms in a single recent year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, the United States recorded 48,830 gun-related deaths, marking a 23% increase from 2019
- The US firearm mortality rate reached 14.8 per 100,000 in 2021, the highest since 1993
- Firearms were the leading cause of death for US children and teens (ages 1-19) in 2020, accounting for 20% of all child fatalities
- In 2021, 55% of US gun deaths were suicides (26,328), 43% homicides (20,958), 2% undetermined
- Firearm homicides rose from 14,414 in 2019 to 20,958 in 2021, a 45% increase
- Black males accounted for 52% of US gun homicide victims in 2021 despite being 6% of population
- In 2021, 60% of Black youth homicide victims (ages 1-24) died by gun, rate 33.0 per 100,000
- In 2021, gun suicides totaled 26,328, 54% of all gun deaths and 55% of all suicides
- US gun suicide rate was 7.5 per 100,000 in 2021, up 2% from 2020
- 55% of US suicides in 2021 involved firearms (26,328 of 48,183)
- Accidental gun deaths totaled 537 in 2021, 1% of gun deaths
- Children under 18 suffered 268 accidental gun deaths from 2015-2019
- 82% of unintentional gun deaths are self-inflicted or by family/friends
- Mass shootings (4+ killed) totaled 173 in 2023, per Gun Violence Archive
- From 1982-2023, 448 deaths in K-12 school shootings
Gun deaths in the United States are tragically high and continue to rise each year.
Accidental Gun Deaths
1Accidental gun deaths totaled 537 in 2021, 1% of gun deaths
Verified2Children under 18 suffered 268 accidental gun deaths from 2015-2019
Verified382% of unintentional gun deaths are self-inflicted or by family/friends
Verified4Black children 5x more likely to die in accidental gun incidents than white children
Directional5From 2015-2021, 1,166 accidental gun deaths among 0-17 year olds
Single source6Handguns involved in 77% of accidental gun deaths in 2021
Verified7States without child access prevention laws had 4x accidental youth gun deaths
Verified840% of accidental gun deaths occur in homes with unlocked guns
Verified9Males 88% of accidental gun deaths in 2021 (473 deaths)
Directional10Accidental gun death rate 0.2 per 100,000 in 2021, stable since 2010
Single source1150 accidental gun deaths among children 0-14 in 2021
Verified12Firearms #1 cause of accidental death for kids 5-14
Verified1375% of child accidental shootings by siblings or friends under 6
Verified14Accidental gun deaths rose 17% during 2020 COVID lockdowns
Directional15South Carolina accidental gun death rate 0.4 per 100,000 in 2021, highest
Single source1690% of accidental gun deaths preventable with safe storage
Verified17Toddlers 0-4: 64 accidental gun deaths 2015-2019
Verified18Rural accidental gun death rates 2x urban
Verified19Gun violence archive recorded 649 unintentional shootings in 2022, 122 fatal
Directional20In 2021, 20% of accidental gun deaths were by children under 6
Single sourceAccidental Gun Deaths Interpretation
It’s a grim lottery we’re running in our own homes, where unlocked guns and lax laws turn playdates into preventable tragedies, and the winning numbers are written in the obituaries of children.
Gun Hicides
1In 2021, 60% of Black youth homicide victims (ages 1-24) died by gun, rate 33.0 per 100,000
VerifiedGun Hicides Interpretation
Here is a bleak math: for Black youth in America, the leading cause of becoming a homicide statistic is a bullet, a fact as common as it is catastrophic.
Gun Homicides
1In 2021, 55% of US gun deaths were suicides (26,328), 43% homicides (20,958), 2% undetermined
Verified2Firearm homicides rose from 14,414 in 2019 to 20,958 in 2021, a 45% increase
Verified3Black males accounted for 52% of US gun homicide victims in 2021 despite being 6% of population
Verified4In 2022, there were 20,200 gun homicides in the US, per CDC provisional data
Directional5Gun homicides comprised 75% of all US homicides in 2021
Single source6Youth (ages 1-17) gun homicide victims increased 77% from 2019 to 2021 to 2,590 deaths
Verified7Louisiana's gun homicide rate was 19.0 per 100,000 in 2021, highest in US
Verified8Missouri gun homicide rate: 11.5 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified985% of mass public shootings from 1999-2021 involved firearms obtained legally
Directional10Gun homicides in US cities rose 30% during 2020 pandemic, totaling over 10,000
Single source11Hispanics comprised 20% of gun homicide victims in 2021 but faced rate 6.8 per 100,000
Verified12White victims accounted for 24% of gun homicides in 2021, rate 3.1 per 100,000
Verified13Females were 15% of gun homicide victims in 2021 (3,145 deaths)
Verified14Gun homicides among children 0-14 rose 83% from 2019-2021
Directional15In 2021, 87% of murders of Black children involved guns
Single source16DC had gun homicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified17Alabama gun homicide rate: 10.4 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified18From 2015-2019, 81% of homicide victims killed with guns in large US counties
Verified19Gun homicides peaked at 21,570 in 2021, per FBI data
DirectionalGun Homicides Interpretation
While these numbers paint a grim portrait of a nation in crisis, they scream a chillingly clear, two-part diagnosis: America is waging a silent war of despair against itself with one hand, and a brutally disproportionate war of violence against its own communities, particularly its Black youth, with the other.
Gun Suicides
1In 2021, gun suicides totaled 26,328, 54% of all gun deaths and 55% of all suicides
Verified2US gun suicide rate was 7.5 per 100,000 in 2021, up 2% from 2020
Verified355% of US suicides in 2021 involved firearms (26,328 of 48,183)
Verified4White males aged 75+ had highest gun suicide rate: 41.8 per 100,000 in 2021
Directional5Gun suicides among youth 10-24 increased 53% from 2011-2021
Single source6Veterans accounted for 13.5% of US gun suicides despite being 7% of adults
Verified7Rural gun suicide rates were 2.4 times urban rates in 2021 (14.0 vs 5.8 per 100,000)
Verified8Males comprised 88% of gun suicides in 2021 (23,188 deaths)
Verified9From 2006-2020, gun suicides rose 44%, adding 7,000 deaths annually
Directional10In states with highest gun ownership, gun suicide rates average 8.7 per 100,000
Single source11Gun suicides among women increased 15% from 2016-2020
Verified12Elderly white men (85+) had gun suicide rate of 53.7 per 100,000 in 2020
Verified1370% of suicides in rural areas involve guns, vs 40% urban
Verified14Youth gun suicides (10-19) totaled 731 in 2021
Directional15Montana's gun suicide rate was 28.5 per 100,000 in 2021, highest US
Single source16Wyoming gun suicide rate: 28.1 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified17Gun access increases suicide risk 3-fold among youth, per 2022 meta-analysis
Verified1850% of gun suicides use handguns, 25% shotguns/rifles in 2021
Verified19Gun suicides declined 3% in states with child access prevention laws
Directional20In 2021, 92% of veteran suicides were male, 70% by firearm
Single source21Gun suicides among Black Americans rose 35% from 2015-2019
Verified22Females gun suicide rate doubled for ages 10-24 from 2007-2021
Verified23In 2020, 24,292 gun suicides occurred, 1.5x all combat deaths in US history
VerifiedGun Suicides Interpretation
The grim mathematics of America’s gun crisis reveals its most intimate and tragic face: more than half of all gun deaths are self-inflicted, with a suicide rate that is climbing fastest among the young and the old, the veteran and the rural resident, painting a picture where the very instrument most defended as a tool of protection is, in quiet desperation, overwhelmingly turned inward.
Mass Shootings and Trends
1Mass shootings (4+ killed) totaled 173 in 2023, per Gun Violence Archive
Verified2From 1982-2023, 448 deaths in K-12 school shootings
Verified3Public mass shootings increased 300% from 2011-2021, averaging 18/year recently
Verified485% of mass shooters 1966-2019 obtained guns legally
Directional5US has 4x mass shootings per capita vs Canada, 25x vs UK 1980-2022
Single source680% of mass shootings occur where guns prohibited, like schools/workplaces
Verified7Handguns used in 60% of mass shootings 1982-2022, rifles 26%
Verified8Mass shooting victims 1966-2019: 52% male, 43% female
Verified933% of mass shooters had prior domestic violence convictions
Directional10Parkland (2018) mass shooting killed 17, injured 17
Single source11US mass shootings tripled from 8/year (2013) to 24/year (2022)
Verified1290% of 2023 mass shootings at homes/parties
Verified13Active shooter incidents rose from 3/year (2000-2006) to 21/year (2014-2020)
Verified1454% of mass shooters 18-24 years old
Directional15Gun death trends: US rate 14x Canada, 23x Japan, 132x UK in 2019
Single source16Global: Brazil had 47,000 gun deaths in 2019, rate 22.0 per 100,000
Verified17Mexico gun homicide rate 29.0 per 100,000 in 2021 vs US 6.8
Verified18Australia post-1996 buyback: gun deaths fell 59%, homicides 65%, suicides 74%
Verified19UK post-1997 handgun ban: gun homicides down 50%, mass shootings near zero
Directional20Canada gun death rate 2.0 per 100,000 vs US 12.2 in 2019
Single sourceMass Shootings and Trends Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of American exceptionalism reveals itself not in freedom's ledger but in the sobering fact that, while our laws make firearms uniquely accessible, the places we deem safest—our schools, workplaces, and homes—have become the stages for our most preventable tragedies.
US National Gun Death Totals and Rates
1In 2021, the United States recorded 48,830 gun-related deaths, marking a 23% increase from 2019
Verified2The US firearm mortality rate reached 14.8 per 100,000 in 2021, the highest since 1993
Verified3Firearms were the leading cause of death for US children and teens (ages 1-19) in 2020, accounting for 20% of all child fatalities
Verified4From 2019 to 2020, gun deaths among US children under 18 rose by 29.5%, totaling 2,290 deaths
Directional5In 2022 provisional data, US gun deaths exceeded 43,000, with a rate of 13.0 per 100,000
Single source6Firearm homicide rates in the US surged 45% from 2019 to 2021, reaching 7.3 per 100,000
Verified7US gun death totals in 2020 were 45,222, surpassing motor vehicle deaths (38,680) for the first time in 25 years
Verified8The age-adjusted firearm death rate in the US increased 43% from 10.4 in 2010 to 14.8 in 2021
Verified9In 2019, firearms caused 39,707 deaths in the US, with suicides comprising 54%
Directional10Provisional 2023 data shows over 42,000 gun deaths in the US through October, on pace for another record
Single source11Gun deaths in the US averaged 116 per day in 2021
Verified12From 1999-2020, US gun deaths totaled 703,000, more than US combat deaths in all 20th and 21st century wars combined
Verified13Firearm-related death rates were highest in the District of Columbia at 28.5 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified14Mississippi had the second-highest gun death rate at 28.6 per 100,000 in 2021
Directional15The US South had a gun death rate of 18.7 per 100,000 in 2021, highest among regions
Single source16Gun death rates among US males were 4.3 times higher than females in 2021 (23.6 vs 5.5 per 100,000)
Verified17Black Americans faced a gun death rate of 29.3 per 100,000 in 2021, over 10 times the rate for Asians/Pacific Islanders (2.7)
Verified18In 2021, 79% of US gun deaths were males, totaling 38,588 deaths
Verified19Ages 25-34 had the highest gun death rate in 2021 at 27.4 per 100,000
Directional20Rural areas had a gun death rate 60% higher than urban areas in 2021 (18.2 vs 11.3 per 100,000)
Single source21In 2021, Black males aged 15-34 had a gun homicide rate of 109.1 per 100,000
Verified22White males had a gun suicide rate of 20.5 per 100,000 in 2021, highest among groups
Verified23Hispanic gun death rate was 9.2 per 100,000 in 2021
Verified24American Indian/Alaska Native gun death rate reached 18.5 per 100,000 in 2021
Directional25Females aged 10-14 saw gun death rates triple from 2011-2020 to 3.1 per 100,000
Single source26In 2020, gun deaths among Black children (0-19) were 42.5 per million, 18 times higher than white children (2.4)
Verified27Gun death disparities: Black males 15-24 rate 72.9 per 100,000 vs white males 4.6 in 2021
Verified28Women and girls comprised 14% of gun homicide victims in 2021 but 55% of intimate partner gun homicides
Verified29Gun death rate for US veterans was 27.6 per 100,000 in recent years, twice the general population
DirectionalUS National Gun Death Totals and Rates Interpretation
America, having perfected the art of ignoring its own reflection, now stares blankly at a chart where our children, our veterans, and our communities are grimly outnumbered by our guns.
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