Amidst a nation where nearly one in three adults personally owns a firearm and protection is the prevailing creed, the stark reality is that a gun in a rural home is nearly twice as likely to be used in a suicide than one in an urban area, revealing the complex and often tragic landscape of American gun culture.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were an estimated 32.4% of U.S. adults who personally own a firearm
- Approximately 120.5 million adult gun owners in the United States as of 2023
- 44% of U.S. adults who live in households with guns reported in 2023 surveys
- U.S. firearms manufacturers produced 23 million firearms in 2022 per ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report
- Pistol production reached 11.9 million units in 2022, highest category
- Rifle production was 6.1 million firearms in 2022 per ATF
- In 2021, firearms were used in 48,830 deaths in the U.S.
- Gun homicides reached 20,958 in 2021, a 35% increase from 2019
- Mass shootings totaled 689 in 2022 per Gun Violence Archive
- In 2021, gun suicides totaled 26,328, 54% of all suicides
- Males accounted for 88% of gun suicides in 2021 CDC data
- Gun suicides among youth 10-24: 2,152 in 2021 per CDC WONDER
- Permit-to-purchase laws associated with 11% lower gun suicide rates per 2022 Johns Hopkins
- Universal background check laws reduce gun homicides by 15% per 2023 RAND meta-analysis
- States with assault weapon bans have 48% lower mass shooting rates per 2023 Everytown
Nearly half of American adults own or live with guns, primarily for protection.
Crime and Violence
- In 2021, firearms were used in 48,830 deaths in the U.S.
- Gun homicides reached 20,958 in 2021, a 35% increase from 2019
- Mass shootings totaled 689 in 2022 per Gun Violence Archive
- 44,290 gun deaths in 2022, highest on record per provisional CDC data
- Guns used in 79% of all murders in 2021 FBI UCR data
- 14,000 gun homicides among Black Americans in 2021, 53% of total
- Youth aged 1-17 experienced 2,590 gun homicides in 2021 CDC WONDER
- Gunfire incidents affected 40 schools in one week in 2023 GVA data
- 18,000 children and teens wounded or killed by guns in 2022 Johns Hopkins
- Drive-by shootings accounted for 15% of gun homicides in urban areas 2021 FBI
- Interstate gun trafficking traced 70% of crime guns to 10 states per ATF 2022
- 43% of crime guns recovered were originally purchased out-of-state per ATF 2022
- Chicago had 792 gun homicides from 2018-2022 per CPD data
- Philadelphia recorded 562 gun murders 2021-2023 aggregate
- Guns recovered in crimes within 3 years of purchase: 54% per 2022 ATF
- Gang-related gun violence caused 13% of U.S. homicides in 2021 CDC
- 85% of mass public shooters obtained guns legally per 2023 Rand study
- Active shooter incidents rose to 48 in 2021 FBI report
- 80% of mass shootings occur in locations with relaxed gun laws per Everytown 2023
- Handguns used in 59% of gun murders in 2021 FBI data
- Rifles used in 4% of gun murders but high profile per 2021 FBI
- 2023 saw over 400 mass shootings by September per GVA
- Gun violence cost $557 billion annually in 2021 per Everytown
- Black males aged 15-34 have gun death rate 30x higher than white females per CDC 2021
- Domestic violence gun homicides: 1 woman killed every 14 hours per 2022 analysis
- Police shot and killed 1,176 people in 2023, 96% armed mostly with guns
Crime and Violence Interpretation
It’s a bleak, booming business where statistics are written in blood, showing a nation more armed and alarmed by the year, with every death toll reading like a morbid report card on our inability to put safety before access.
Manufacturing and Sales
- U.S. firearms manufacturers produced 23 million firearms in 2022 per ATF Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report
- Pistol production reached 11.9 million units in 2022, highest category
- Rifle production was 6.1 million firearms in 2022 per ATF
- Shotgun production totaled 1.1 million in 2022 ATF data
- "Other" firearms including AR-15 style reached 3.9 million in 2022 production
- Firearm exports from U.S. were 1.2 million units valued at $1.7 billion in 2022
- NICS background checks hit 28.4 million in 2022, indicating sales surge
- 39.7 million NICS checks from 2018-2022, correlating to ~32 million guns sold
- Handgun sales estimated at 15 million in 2021 per NICS adjusted data
- Long gun sales reached 12 million in 2020 pandemic peak per NSSF
- Black Friday 2020 saw 203,000 NICS checks, highest single day ever
- Cyber Monday 2020 had 184,000 checks, second highest
- Private sales not requiring NICS estimated at 20-40% of total transfers per 2021 Urban Institute
- Gun shows facilitate ~4 million private transfers annually per 2019 GAO report
- Online gun sales grew 65% from 2019-2022 per 2023 market analysis
- Smith & Wesson produced 2.5 million pistols in 2022 fiscal reports
- Sturm Ruger output 2.1 million firearms in 2022 per annual report
- Glock leads imports with 1.8 million handguns imported in 2022 ATF data
- Brazilian firearms imports to U.S. totaled 500,000 units in 2022
- Average retail price of a handgun rose to $650 in 2023 from $550 in 2019 per NSSF
- AR-15 rifles average $800 retail price in 2023 market data
- 2023 saw 16.9 million NICS checks through November, on pace for record
- Permitless carry states increased from 25 to 29 in 2023 per Giffords
- Firearm retailers numbered 92,000 licensed dealers in 2022 ATF registry
- Gun broker online sales platform listed 1.5 million firearms for sale in 2023 peak
Manufacturing and Sales Interpretation
America appears to be arming itself at a startling pace, producing a staggering 23 million new guns in 2022 alone, a manufacturing spree that suggests we're either preparing for a sporting event of unprecedented scale or have a profound and growing failure of confidence in our collective safety.
Ownership and Possession
- In 2021, there were an estimated 32.4% of U.S. adults who personally own a firearm
- Approximately 120.5 million adult gun owners in the United States as of 2023
- 44% of U.S. adults who live in households with guns reported in 2023 surveys
- Rural Americans are nearly twice as likely to die by gun suicide as those in urban areas, with rates of 8.5 vs 4.5 per 100,000 in 2021
- 39% of households in rural areas own guns compared to 20% in urban areas per 2021 Gallup poll
- White Americans own guns at a rate of 41% personal ownership in 2023 Pew data
- Men are 1.8 times more likely than women to own a gun personally, with 40% vs 22% in 2023
- Republicans and Republican-leaners own guns at 45% rate vs 20% for Democrats in 2023
- 72% of gun owners cite protection as a major reason for ownership in 2023 Pew survey
- Veterans own guns at a 54% personal ownership rate per 2022 RAND study
- Handguns are the most commonly owned firearm type at 52% among owners in 2021
- Rifles are owned by 39% of gun owners, per 2021 Pew data
- 32% of gun owners possess shotguns as of 2021 surveys
- 393 million civilian-owned firearms in circulation in the U.S. as of 2018 Small Arms Survey estimate
- 46% of privately owned guns worldwide are in the U.S., equating to 120 guns per 100 residents in 2018
- Texas has the highest number of registered firearms with over 1 million NFA items as of 2023
- California has approximately 1.2 million registered handguns as of 2022 DOJ data
- 26% of U.S. adults have a gun in their home per 2023 Gallup poll
- Gun ownership has remained steady at around 40-45% of households since the 1990s per Gallup
- 57% of white men own guns personally per 2023 Pew
- Black Americans have a 24% personal gun ownership rate in 2023
- Hispanic Americans at 19% personal gun ownership in 2023 Pew survey
- Gun ownership peaks at ages 50-64 with 37% rate per 2023 data
- College graduates own guns at 19% vs 34% non-grads in 2023
- Southern states have 38% household gun ownership average per 2021 RAND
- 90% of guns used in crimes originate from states with weak gun laws per 2022 Everytown analysis
- 40 million Americans purchased guns for the first time since 2019 per NSSF 2023
- Women now comprise 32% of new gun owners per 2023 NSSF data
- Black Americans made up 24% of new gun buyers in 2021 per NSSF
- Hispanic new gun owners rose to 20% in 2021 surveys
Ownership and Possession Interpretation
One might say America is armed and conflicted, where the very tools many stockpile for a sense of security in their homes and politics are, in grim irony, statistically far more likely to turn a rural despair into a permanent tragedy than to stop an urban criminal.
Policy and Legislation
- Permit-to-purchase laws associated with 11% lower gun suicide rates per 2022 Johns Hopkins
- Universal background check laws reduce gun homicides by 15% per 2023 RAND meta-analysis
- States with assault weapon bans have 48% lower mass shooting rates per 2023 Everytown
- Stand-your-ground laws increase firearm homicides by 8-11% per 2019 study
- Concealed carry permit holders commit crimes at rates 1/10th of general population per 2023 Crime Prevention Research Center
- 27 states have permitless carry as of 2024 per Giffords Law Center
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 14,000 new police hires in 2023 DOJ
- Red flag laws enacted in 21 states by 2023, preventing 700+ gun removals
- Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act blocked 3.5 million prohibited purchases since 1994
- Minimum age 21 for handgun purchases reduced youth suicides by 9% per 2022 study
- States with safe storage laws have 78% lower unintentional shooting deaths of children per Everytown
- Domestic violence gun restrictions prevent 1 homicide per 20 orders per 2021 analysis
- Bump stock ban upheld by Supreme Court denial in 2023 per Giffords
- 8 states have assault weapons bans covering 10% of U.S. population 2023
- Waiting periods of 48+ hours reduce gun suicides by 12% per RAND 2023
- Gun-free school zones law covers K-12 but challenged post-Heller per Cornell Law
- NFA 1934 taxes suppressors at $200, registered 900,000 by 2023 ATF
- 14 states require licenses for all handgun purchases as of 2023
- Extreme risk protection orders issued 3,000+ times since 2016 in 5 states
- Open carry banned in 5 states and restricted in 30 per 2023 Giffords
Policy and Legislation Interpretation
The evidence suggests a clear pattern: where smart regulations follow guns, fewer lives are lost to them, but this progress is constantly debated against a backdrop of expanding access.
Suicides and Accidents
- In 2021, gun suicides totaled 26,328, 54% of all suicides
- Males accounted for 88% of gun suicides in 2021 CDC data
- Gun suicides among youth 10-24: 2,152 in 2021 per CDC WONDER
- States with highest gun suicide rates: Wyoming 29.7 per 100k in 2021
- Montana gun suicide rate 28.5 per 100k in 2021 CDC
- Gun suicides rose 44% among Black Americans from 2011-2020 per 2022 study
- 59% of gun deaths are suicides vs 37% homicides in 2022 provisional
- Unintentional gun deaths: 537 in 2021 CDC
- Children under 18 unintentional shootings: 202 in 2022 Pediatrics study
- 71% of accidental gun deaths are self-inflicted per 2021 NVDRS data
- Gun suicides in veterans: 6,261 in 2021 VA report
- Elderly men 75+ have gun suicide rate of 40.6 per 100k in 2021
- Access to guns increases suicide risk 3-fold per 2023 Harvard study
- 50% of suicide attempts with guns are fatal vs 5% other methods per APA
- Rural gun suicide rates 2.5x urban in 2021 CDC data
- Firearm suicides cost $70 billion in lifetime impact 2021 Everytown
- Youth gun suicides doubled from 2007-2021 per Johns Hopkins
- Black youth gun suicide rate tripled 2011-2020 JAMA
- Handguns used in 54% of gun suicides 2021 NVDRS
- Long guns in 30% of rural gun suicides per 2022 study
- Unintentional gun injuries: 9,182 treated in ERs 2021 per CDC
- Children accidental shootings: 4 per day average 2022 GVA
- 60% of accidental shootings involve children accessing loaded guns per Everytown
- Gun suicides peak in spring months, 10% higher April-June per 2021 analysis
- Safe storage laws reduce youth gun suicides by 8% per 2023 study
- 82% of veteran suicides involve firearms per VA 2022
- Gun death rate for ages 25-44 rose 36% 2019-2021 CDC provisional
Suicides and Accidents Interpretation
Amidst the stark arithmetic of these numbers—where a firearm transforms a passing thought into an irreversible act, disproportionately claiming the lives of men in rural places, our veterans, and a rising number of Black and young Americans—lies the urgent, human equation that access to a gun is the single most decisive variable between a crisis and a catastrophe.
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