In 2023, the United States recorded 42,967 gun deaths, alongside 656 mass shootings that left 712 people dead and more than 2,700 injured. These numbers sit within a wider picture, from record levels of gun ownership and concealed carry permits to policy differences like background checks, assault weapon bans, and safe storage laws. This post pulls together the most important statistics so you can see patterns across the data rather than rely on one headline at a time.
Key Takeaways
- US gun ownership: 120 firearms per 100 residents, highest globally
- 44% US adults own gun personally or household, 32% personally
- Permitless carry states increased from 25 to 29 post-2022 Bruen decision
- In 2023, 656 mass shootings occurred, killing 712 and injuring 2,700+
- Uvalde school shooting 2022: 21 killed (19 children, 2 teachers)
- Buffalo supermarket 2022: 10 killed, 3 injured in racist attack
- In 2022, 44,290 non-fatal gun injuries reported to NEISS
- Gunshot wounds treated in ERs: 82,000 in 2021, up 40% from 2019
- Pediatric gun injuries: 27,000 hospitalizations 2010-2021
- In 2023, there were 43,065 gun-related deaths in the US, including 29,836 homicides/suicides and 13,229 unintentional/other
- Firearms were used in 54% of all US homicides in 2022, totaling 19,651 firearm homicides
- From 2019-2023, annual gun homicides averaged 21,000, a 25% increase from the prior decade
- In 2021, Black Americans were 60% of gun homicide victims but 14% pop
- Males: 86% of gun homicide victims, rate 12.5 per 100k vs 1.9 females
- Children/teens (1-17): 2,590 gun homicides in 2021
America has the world’s highest gun ownership, with mass shootings and gun deaths rising despite some evidence-based prevention laws.
Gun Ownership and Policy
1US gun ownership: 120 firearms per 100 residents, highest globally
Verified
244% US adults own gun personally or household, 32% personally
Verified
3Permitless carry states increased from 25 to 29 post-2022 Bruen decision
Verified
4Background checks: 30M denied 1998-2023
Directional
5States with assault weapon bans: gun death 10% lower
Directional
6Gun production: 23M firearms manufactured 2022
Directional
7Safe storage laws: reduce youth suicides 8-14%
Verified
8Stand-your-ground laws correlate with 8% homicide increase
Verified
9Universal background checks: states with them have 15% fewer gun deaths
Verified
10Concealed carry permits: 21.5M active 2023, up 10%
Verified
11Ghost guns: 25,000 traced in crimes 2019-2022
Verified
12Red flag laws: prevented 800+ gun removals 2020-2023
Verified
13Gun show loophole: 20-40% private sales unchecked
Verified
14Waiting periods: reduce gun suicides 11%, homicides 17%
Verified
15Open carry states: 45 allow some form
Verified
16Firearm export/import: US net exporter 1M guns yearly
Verified
17Domestic violence gun bans: reduce homicides 10%
Verified
18High-capacity mag bans: 48% fewer mass shooting victims
Directional
19Gun-free zones: 90% of mass shootings not in them
Single source
20Permit-to-purchase: 11 states, lower gun death rates
Verified
213D-printed guns: 10,000+ recovered by police 2021-2023
Verified
22Minimum age 21 for handgun: reduces youth suicides 8%
Verified
23International: US gun homicide 25x higher than peer nations
Verified
Gun Ownership and Policy Interpretation
While the nation maintains a cautious arsenal in millions of living rooms, the statistics reveal a grim equation where accessibility often outweighs the guardrails meant to keep us safe.
Mass Shootings
1In 2023, 656 mass shootings occurred, killing 712 and injuring 2,700+
Verified
2Uvalde school shooting 2022: 21 killed (19 children, 2 teachers)
Verified
3Buffalo supermarket 2022: 10 killed, 3 injured in racist attack
Single source
4Highland Park parade 2022: 7 killed, 48 injured
Verified
5Monterey Park dance studio 2023: 11 killed, 9 injured
Verified
6Allen outlet mall 2023: 8 killed, 7 injured
Verified
7Nashville school 2023: 6 killed (3 children, 3 adults)
Verified
8Lewiston ME 2023: 18 killed, 13 injured
Verified
9UNLV 2023: 3 killed, 1 injured
Verified
10Kansas City parade 2024: 1 killed, 22 injured
Directional
11Since Columbine 1999, 428 mass shootings by GVA definition (4+ injured/killed)
Directional
122022 record: 636 mass shootings, deadliest year
Verified
13Public mass shootings (4+ killed, FBI def): 120 from 1966-2019
Verified
14Mass shootings in schools: 153 incidents 2000-2022, 216 deaths
Directional
15Workplace mass shootings: 185 incidents 2006-2022, 300+ deaths
Verified
16Mass shootings by white supremacists: 51% of deadly attacks post-1990
Directional
17AR-15 style rifles used in 24 of 50 deadliest mass shootings since 1966
Verified
18Mass shootings doubled from 2019's 417 to 2023's 656
Directional
1940% of mass shooters had prior domestic violence records
Directional
20Supermarkets/walmarts: 15 mass shootings since 1999, 100+ killed/injured
Single source
21Nightclubs/bars: 45 mass shootings 2015-2023
Verified
22Churches: 36 mass shootings since 2009
Directional
23Concerts/festivals: 12 mass shootings, including Las Vegas 2017 (60 killed)
Verified
24Average mass shooting victims per incident: 6.2 injured, 2.1 killed in 2023
Verified
25Repeat mass shooters: 6% involved multiple attacks
Verified
26Mass shootings in red states vs blue: no significant difference per capita
Verified
27Pulse nightclub 2016: 49 killed, 53 injured
Verified
28Parkland 2018: 17 killed, 17 injured
Single source
29El Paso Walmart 2019: 23 killed, 22 injured
Verified
Mass Shootings Interpretation
These numbers are not a political scoreboard but a grim tally of everyday American locations—schools, supermarkets, parades—systematically turned into hunting grounds by the uniquely prolific and predictable carnage of our national inaction.
Non-Fatal Injuries
1In 2022, 44,290 non-fatal gun injuries reported to NEISS
Verified
2Gunshot wounds treated in ERs: 82,000 in 2021, up 40% from 2019
Verified
3Pediatric gun injuries: 27,000 hospitalizations 2010-2021
Verified
4Annual nonfatal firearm injuries: ~140,000, cost $28B in medical expenses
Verified
5Black males: 1 in 125 chance of nonfatal gun injury lifetime
Verified
6Assault-related gun injuries: 80% of nonfatal shootings
Verified
7Self-inflicted nonfatal gun injuries: 8,000 annually
Verified
8Gun injuries in home: 45% accidental
Directional
92023: 31,000+ gun injury victims per GVA
Verified
10Paraplegia from gunshots: 6,000 new cases yearly
Verified
11Gun trauma costs per patient: $250,000 average hospital bill
Verified
12Youth gun injuries tripled 2015-2022 in some cities
Verified
13Female gun injury victims: 25% of total, often domestic
Verified
14Rural gun injuries: higher per capita due to hunting accidents, 4.5 per 100k
Single source
15Police-involved shootings: 1,100 nonfatal injuries 2015-2022
Directional
16Gang-related gun injuries: 60% of urban nonfatal shootings
Verified
17Amputation rates from gun injuries: 2-5% of cases
Verified
18Long-term PTSD post-gun injury: 40-60% prevalence
Verified
19Defensive gun uses result in 500-3,000 injuries annually
Verified
20Handgun injuries: 75% of nonfatal shootings
Verified
21Mass shooting injuries: 2,668 in 2023 alone
Verified
22Gun injuries during robberies: 15,000 yearly
Directional
23Elderly gun injury hospitalizations: up 50% 2016-2020
Verified
24Black children: 82 nonfatal gun injuries per day avg 2020-2022
Verified
Non-Fatal Injuries Interpretation
These statistics paint a brutally clear picture: America's gun violence epidemic is not a single crisis but a hydra-headed monster, exacting a grotesque daily toll in broken bodies, shattered lives, and staggering debt, from our children's wards to our elders' homes.
Overall Fatalities and Homicides
1In 2023, there were 43,065 gun-related deaths in the US, including 29,836 homicides/suicides and 13,229 unintentional/other
Single source
2Firearms were used in 54% of all US homicides in 2022, totaling 19,651 firearm homicides
Directional
3From 2019-2023, annual gun homicides averaged 21,000, a 25% increase from the prior decade
Single source
4In 2021, suicides accounted for 54% of gun deaths (24,292), making firearms the leading suicide method
Directional
5Gun deaths rose 43% from 2010 to 2021, reaching 48,830 total deaths
Directional
6Black Americans comprised 60% of gun homicide victims in 2022 despite being 14% of population
Verified
7In 2022, 4,579 children and teens (0-19) died by gun, highest on record
Verified
8Firearm homicides increased 35% from 2019 to 2020, from 14,414 to 19,384
Verified
9In 2023, gun suicides numbered 27,300, up 2% from 2022
Verified
10Total gun deaths per 100,000: 13.7 in 2021, highest since 1993
Directional
11Homicides by gun: 20,138 in 2023, per FBI data
Verified
12Unintentional gun deaths: 534 in 2021, including 120 children under 18
Verified
13Gun deaths in rural areas: 18.2 per 100k vs 11.9 in urban, 2020-2021
Single source
14Firearms caused 79% of murders of police officers 2010-2022
Verified
15In 2022, 691 mass shooting deaths (4+ victims)
Verified
16Gun homicide rate for males: 15.1 per 100k, females 2.4 per 100k in 2021
Directional
17Total gun violence deaths 1999-2020: 703,000+
Verified
182023 saw 42,967 gun deaths, down slightly from 2022's 44,290
Directional
19Firearm suicides among youth (10-24): 2,573 in 2021
Verified
20Gun deaths doubled among Black children 2019-2022
Single source
21In 2022, 14,860 gun murders, per FBI UCR
Verified
22Veterans: gun suicide rate 22.6 per 100k vs 15.6 civilian males
Verified
23Gun deaths in US exceed car crash deaths since 2016, 45k vs 42k in 2022
Verified
24Hispanic gun homicide victims: 1,697 in 2021, rate 5.5 per 100k
Single source
25Firearm homicide rate peaked at 7.6 per 100k in 2021
Verified
26In 2020, COVID lockdowns correlated with 30% gun homicide spike
Verified
27Gun deaths among Asian Americans: 1.2 per 100k, lowest rate 2021
Verified
28Total unintentional gun deaths 2015-2019: 2,357
Directional
29Gun suicides in elderly (65+): 20.5 per 100k males
Verified
302023 preliminary: 19,651 gun homicides
Verified
Overall Fatalities and Homicides Interpretation
America, with admirable perversity, has engineered a public health crisis where the leading instrument of self-destruction now claims more lives annually than our ubiquitous automobiles, and this ever more efficient machinery of death disproportionately preys on our young, our Black citizens, and our veterans while pretending to be the price of freedom.
Victim Demographics
1In 2021, Black Americans were 60% of gun homicide victims but 14% pop
Single source
2Males: 86% of gun homicide victims, rate 12.5 per 100k vs 1.9 females
Verified
3Children/teens (1-17): 2,590 gun homicides in 2021
Single source
4Black males 15-34: gun homicide rate 101.1 per 100k
Verified
5Women: 55% of intimate partner gun homicides
Verified
6Hispanics: 12% of gun deaths despite 19% pop, rate 7.6 per 100k
Verified
7Rural youth: gun death rate 8.2 per 100k vs 5.1 urban
Verified
8LGBTQ+ individuals: 4x higher gun homicide risk if trans
Verified
9Veterans: 22% of gun suicides, despite 7% pop
Directional
10Infants (0-1): 227 gun deaths 2020-2022, mostly homicide
Directional
11Native Americans: gun death rate 25.5 per 100k, highest
Single source
12Elderly women: gun suicide rate 5.2 per 100k
Directional
13Gang members: 80% of urban Black male gun deaths 15-24
Single source
14Poor neighborhoods: gun homicide 10x higher rate
Verified
15Transgender: 7.5x homicide rate if armed partner present
Verified
16Immigrants: lower gun victimization rates, 3.1 per 100k
Verified
17Mental illness: only 4% of gun violence perpetrators
Verified
18Homeless: 2x gun death rate
Single source
19Students: 346 school gun deaths 2018-2023
Verified
20Domestic violence victims: 1 in 4 gun homicides
Verified
21White males: 70% of gun suicides
Verified
22Urban Black females 15-24: rate 9.5 per 100k
Verified
23Asian Americans: 2% of gun homicides
Verified
Victim Demographics Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim, fractured portrait of an epidemic where the most vulnerable—Black youth, victims of domestic violence, the unhoused, and transgender individuals—are systemically trapped in the crossfire of a national crisis we refuse to solve.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
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
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Gun Violence In America Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-in-america-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Gun Violence In America Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-in-america-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Gun Violence In America Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gun-violence-in-america-statistics.
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