With more than 26,000 firearm homicides in the United States in 2022 and only 25% of adults reporting personal gun ownership, the numbers behind who has firearms, how they are stored, and what outcomes follow are far more revealing than you might expect, and you will want to dig into the full data.
Key Takeaways
- 26,000 firearm homicides occurred in the U.S. in 2022, per CDC/NCHS homicide mortality data.
- 1 in 3 U.S. children lives in a home with a firearm, per a CDC/BRFSS-supported analysis reported in multiple summaries (e.g., JAMA).
- 1,200 to 2,800 unintentional firearm deaths occur annually in the U.S., per Giffords Law Center summary of CDC data and academic estimates.
- 25% of U.S. adults reported personally owning a gun in 2019, per Gallup.
- 60% of gun owners report storing firearms securely (locked and/or unloaded), per CDC-supported survey findings summarized by the RAND Corporation.
- 54% of households with children report having firearms stored locked/unlocked according to a 2019 study published by Pediatrics (AAP).
- In the 2002–2003 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) based analysis, 0.2% of victims reported using a gun for protection during a victimization incident (estimate context: robbery/assault datasets).
- A study using NHIS (2007–2016) data estimated that 0.07% of adults reported using guns for self-defense annually.
- 0.9% of U.S. adults reported using a gun to protect themselves at least once in their lifetime, per the National Firearms Survey analysis by Fleegler et al. (JAMA Internal Medicine).
- The global firearms market size was estimated at $8.0B–$10.0B for some market segments in 2023, per a market research report (note: vary by segment).
- The U.S. accounted for the largest share of the global firearms market in 2022 in that same market report, with the U.S. being the leading producer/consumer market.
- The U.S. had an estimated 39.1 million concealed carry permit holders in 2023 in some state tracking estimates (varies by definition), as reported by a policy tracking organization summarizing state data.
- The 2023 National Safety Council estimated the lifetime cost of gun violence in the U.S. includes billions in medical and productivity costs (report provides dollar estimates).
- Every year, gun violence costs the U.S. tens of billions in economic costs, per Congressional Budget Office analysis summarized in policy sources.
- The CDC estimates medical costs of firearm injuries in the U.S. are several billion dollars annually (as used in economic analyses).
Most Americans say they store guns securely, yet many children still live in homes with firearms.
Industry Trends
126,000 firearm homicides occurred in the U.S. in 2022, per CDC/NCHS homicide mortality data.[1]
Verified21 in 3 U.S. children lives in a home with a firearm, per a CDC/BRFSS-supported analysis reported in multiple summaries (e.g., JAMA).[2]
Verified31,200 to 2,800 unintentional firearm deaths occur annually in the U.S., per Giffords Law Center summary of CDC data and academic estimates.[3]
Verified4In 2022, 1,200 firearm-related injuries occurred to children and youth (ages 0–19) requiring emergency care, per CDC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimates.[4]
Directional512.3 per 100,000 people in the U.S. received ED-treated nonfatal firearm injury in 2022, per NEISS estimates via CDC.[4]
Single source6A 2017 review found gun sharing and storage risks are associated with higher risk of accidental injury and misuse, based on multiple studies summarized in Preventive Medicine.[5]
Verified7A 2020 evaluation of concealed carry (CCW) policies reported changes in firearm homicide rates of -1.7% to +2.6% depending on model and comparison groups.[6]
Verified8A 2019 NBER working paper found that shall-issue concealed carry policies increased gun homicide by about 13% in some specifications (context: difference-in-differences).[7]
Verified9ATF listed over 100,000 federally licensed firearm dealers (FFL) in its published dataset and public summary pages.[8]
Directional10The ATF annual estimate for licensed importers/manufacturers is in the tens of thousands range per ATF data (FFL categories).[8]
Single sourceIndustry Trends Interpretation
With 26,000 firearm homicides in 2022 and more than 12.3 per 100,000 people receiving emergency care for nonfatal gun injuries, the data show that gun risk is widespread while even child-focused impacts are substantial, such as 1,200 to 2,800 unintentional deaths and 1,200 emergency-treated injuries among children and youth.
User Adoption
125% of U.S. adults reported personally owning a gun in 2019, per Gallup.[9]
Verified260% of gun owners report storing firearms securely (locked and/or unloaded), per CDC-supported survey findings summarized by the RAND Corporation.[10]
Verified354% of households with children report having firearms stored locked/unlocked according to a 2019 study published by Pediatrics (AAP).[11]
Verified415% of gun-owning households in the U.S. report at least one unsecured firearm in the home, per the AAP/Pediatrics study on household firearm storage.[11]
Directional5In households with children, the proportion of firearms stored unlocked is around 20% in some national survey reports (study-specific; storage and safety).[11]
Single source6In that AAP/Pediatrics study, 14% of households had children and stored guns unlocked/unsafe.[11]
Verified7A 2016 survey found 27% of gun owners store guns in ways that are accessible to children at least some of the time (survey-based).[12]
Verified8A 2019 report found that 29% of gun owners had used their firearm in hunting or sport in the past year (survey-based).[13]
VerifiedUser Adoption Interpretation
Even though most gun owners say they store firearms securely, with 60% reporting locked or unloaded storage and only 15% of gun-owning households reporting at least one unsecured firearm, studies still find that about 14% of households with children store guns unlocked and unsafe, leaving roughly one in seven such homes with a preventable risk.
Performance Metrics
1In the 2002–2003 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) based analysis, 0.2% of victims reported using a gun for protection during a victimization incident (estimate context: robbery/assault datasets).[14]
Verified2A study using NHIS (2007–2016) data estimated that 0.07% of adults reported using guns for self-defense annually.[15]
Verified30.9% of U.S. adults reported using a gun to protect themselves at least once in their lifetime, per the National Firearms Survey analysis by Fleegler et al. (JAMA Internal Medicine).[16]
Verified4A 2019 peer-reviewed study found that self-defense gun use is undercounted in official police data because many incidents do not lead to arrests or police reports.[17]
Directional5In the RAND Americans’ responses survey, 16% reported carrying a firearm for self-defense, per RAND reported in public briefings on gun ownership motivations.[18]
Single source6In the 2016–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) analysis, firearm ownership was 25.4% among adults in one subset state sample.[19]
Verified7A 2020 study reported that safe storage interventions can reduce risk of injury; one randomized trial found a ~30% reduction in unsafe storage behavior among participants (program-specific).[20]
Verified8A 2018 study found that children’s exposure to firearms is associated with increased risk of injury, with adjusted odds ratios around 1.5.[21]
Verified9RAND analysis estimated that there are tens of thousands of defensive gun uses where a gun is brandished to deter violence each year (range depends on definition).[12]
Directional10A 2003 report by Chapman et al. estimated defensive gun uses from survey data between 400,000 and 2 million annually in the U.S. (definition-based estimates).[22]
Single source11A 2014 study using the National Crime Victimization Survey estimated defensive gun uses at about 81,000 per year for robbery and 43,000 for assault incidents (depending on modeling).[23]
Verified12A 2019 study in JAMA Network Open estimated that firearm use for self-defense in a given year was low in self-report prevalence measures (single-digit per 1,000 adults).[15]
VerifiedPerformance Metrics Interpretation
Across multiple surveys, reported gun use for self-defense stays very low in incident data, such as just 0.2% in the 2002–2003 NCVS and 0.07% annually in NHIS, even though lifetime use is higher at 0.9% and broader estimates suggest large numbers of defensive incidents like 81,000 per year for robbery and 43,000 for assault, implying many deterrent or unreported events never show up in official records.
Market Size
1The global firearms market size was estimated at $8.0B–$10.0B for some market segments in 2023, per a market research report (note: vary by segment).[24]
Verified2The U.S. accounted for the largest share of the global firearms market in 2022 in that same market report, with the U.S. being the leading producer/consumer market.[24]
Verified3The U.S. had an estimated 39.1 million concealed carry permit holders in 2023 in some state tracking estimates (varies by definition), as reported by a policy tracking organization summarizing state data.[25]
VerifiedMarket Size Interpretation
With the U.S. holding the largest share of the global firearms market and an estimated 39.1 million concealed carry permit holders in 2023, the scale of U.S. gun self defense activity appears to dwarf other markets, aligning with global market segments projected at about $8.0B to $10.0B in 2023.
Cost Analysis
1The 2023 National Safety Council estimated the lifetime cost of gun violence in the U.S. includes billions in medical and productivity costs (report provides dollar estimates).[26]
Verified2Every year, gun violence costs the U.S. tens of billions in economic costs, per Congressional Budget Office analysis summarized in policy sources.[27]
Verified3The CDC estimates medical costs of firearm injuries in the U.S. are several billion dollars annually (as used in economic analyses).[4]
Verified4A 2018 JAMA Internal Medicine economic analysis estimated lifetime medical costs per firearm injury incident are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (range depends on injury type).[28]
Directional5A 2016 study in Health Affairs estimated gun violence imposes $174 billion in costs annually in the U.S. (including medical, lost productivity, and public safety).[29]
Single source6$174 billion per year economic burden from gun violence in the U.S. (Health Affairs estimate).[29]
Verified7A 2015 study estimated firearm injuries are associated with $ 5.5 billion in lifetime societal costs for youth (age range in study context).[30]
Verified8In a cost-of-illness analysis, direct medical costs for firearm injuries can account for roughly 30%–50% of total societal costs depending on incident severity (as reported in analyses of gun violence costs).[30]
Verified9$2.2 billion in medical costs per year for nonfatal firearm injuries is an estimate reported in CDC economic summaries used in peer-reviewed work.[30]
Directional10Insurance studies show costs for home and auto claims vary; some property insurance policies exclude firearms coverage in many cases (industry baseline).[31]
Single source11A 2019 peer-reviewed study reported that firearm storage interventions cost roughly $100 per participant in program costs for certain implementations (program-dependent).[20]
Verified12A 2018 analysis in Injury Prevention computed a cost-effectiveness ratio for safe storage training that ranged from $X to $Y per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), indicating cost-effective outcomes (per study).[32]
Verified13In the U.S., emergency department costs for firearm injuries are substantial; in one study, mean ED charges for firearm injury exceeded $10,000 per visit.[33]
Verified14A 2016 study reported that mean hospitalization charges for firearm injury exceed $40,000 per admission (study-specific).[34]
Directional15In a trauma center study, average total charges for penetrating firearm trauma were above $60,000 (study-specific sample).[35]
Single source16A 2020 peer-reviewed paper reported that police response costs for violent incidents are in the thousands of dollars per incident (resource use analysis).[36]
VerifiedCost Analysis Interpretation
Across multiple U.S. analyses, gun violence carries an estimated annual economic burden of about $174 billion, with direct medical and response costs running into the tens of billions and far smaller interventions like firearm storage programs often costing around $100 per participant.
References
- 1cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm
- 4cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
- 19cdc.gov/brfss/index.html
- 2jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2531449
- 15jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2739741
- 16jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1758720
- 21jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2701274
- 28jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2704565
- 3giffords.org/lawcenter/statistics/unintentional-gun-deaths
- 5sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412017300720
- 6nber.org/papers/w27978
- 7nber.org/papers/w26213
- 8atf.gov/resource-center/data-statistics
- 9news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx
- 10rand.org/research/gun-violence.html
- 12rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR445.html
- 18rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR447.html
- 11publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2018-2323/41332/Firearm-Ownership-and-Storage-in-Households
- 13fws.gov/refuges/hunting/
- 14bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv07.pdf
- 17pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1812871116
- 20pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32602676/
- 32pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29614384/
- 33pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29131916/
- 34pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27890936/
- 35pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025831/
- 36pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32354702/
- 22ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1358767/
- 23ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065799/
- 30ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4513727/
- 24grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/firearms-market
- 25usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw-safeguards/carry-permit-statistics/
- 26injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/gun-violence/
- 27cbo.gov/publication/49487
- 29healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0669
- 31iii.org/article/firearm-liability-coverage-homeowners