Behind every staggering statistic on gun violence in America lies a shattered life, as evidenced by the nearly 49,000 lives lost in 2022 alone, a devastating reality now claiming more young lives than car crashes.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 48,830 gun-related deaths in the US, including homicides, suicides, and accidents
- Firearm-related mortality rate in the US reached 14.8 per 100,000 population in 2022
- From 2019 to 2021, gun deaths increased by 23% among US children and teens aged 1-17
- In 2021, 14,616 people died by gun suicide
- Gun suicides accounted for 54% of all suicides in 2021
- White males had a gun suicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2021, gun homicides reached 20,726, highest since 1993
- Firearm homicides among youth aged 1-17 rose 41% from 2018-2021
- In major cities, gun homicides surged 40% in 2020
- In 2022, 653 mass shootings defined as 4+ victims shot
- 2023 saw 656 mass shootings by December, highest on record
- Uvalde school shooting killed 21, injured 17 on May 24, 2022
- Nearly 2 million people injured by guns from 2017-2021
- Gunshot injuries cost $2.8 billion in hospital charges in 2016
- Non-fatal gun assaults average 80,000 annually
American gun violence has risen sharply, with record deaths and mass shootings plaguing the nation.
Fatal Gun Violence
- In 2022, there were 48,830 gun-related deaths in the US, including homicides, suicides, and accidents
- Firearm-related mortality rate in the US reached 14.8 per 100,000 population in 2022
- From 2019 to 2021, gun deaths increased by 23% among US children and teens aged 1-17
- Black Americans accounted for 60% of gun homicide victims in 2021 despite being 14% of the population
- Gun deaths surpassed car crash deaths as the leading cause of death for US children and adolescents in 2020
- In 2021, 48,830 people died by gunfire in the US, averaging 134 deaths per day
- Firearm suicides made up 54.4% of all gun deaths in 2021
- Homicides by firearm accounted for 43% of all gun deaths in 2021
- From 2015-2019, the gun death rate for men was 4.3 times higher than for women
- Rural areas saw a 40% increase in gun death rates from 2011 to 2021
- In 2020, gun deaths hit a record high of 45,222
- Firearm mortality among Black males aged 15-34 was 105.3 per 100,000 in 2022
- US gun death rate is 13.7 per 100,000, 14 times higher than France
- 79% of all homicides in 2021 involved a firearm
- Gun deaths in the US rose 43% from 2010 to 2021
- In 2022, 691 mass shootings occurred, resulting in over 700 deaths
- Firearms were used in 77% of all murders in 2021
- From 1999-2020, 692,824 people died from gun violence
- Gun death rate for ages 1-19 was 3.7 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2023, preliminary data shows over 43,000 gun deaths
- Firearm homicides increased 45% from 2019 to 2021
- In 2021, 20,958 gun homicides occurred
- Firearms used in 53% of all homicides from 1980-2008, rising to 73% by 2021
- Black males aged 15-44 had a gun homicide rate of 53.8 per 100,000 in 2021
- Gun homicides in large cities increased 30% during COVID-19 pandemic
- In 2022, 24,090 gun murders and non-negligent manslaughters
- Hispanic gun homicide victims rose 50% from 2019-2021
- Firearms involved in 89% of Black homicide deaths in 2021
- Gun homicides among children under 18 doubled from 2019 to 2022
- In 2021, gun homicides were highest in the South with 7.1 per 100,000
- Nationally, gun homicide rate for ages 1-17 was 3.6 per 100,000 in 2021
Fatal Gun Violence Interpretation
If the data is a mirror, then America is staring back at a nation where the leading cause of death for its children is no longer an accident but a bullet, where the promise of life is statistically fractured along lines of race and geography, and where we have quietly accepted a daily ritual of mourning over 134 souls lost to a uniquely American epidemic of violence.
Gun Homicides
- In 2021, gun homicides reached 20,726, highest since 1993
- Firearm homicides among youth aged 1-17 rose 41% from 2018-2021
- In major cities, gun homicides surged 40% in 2020
- Black youth gun homicide rate 18.8x higher than white youth in 2021
- 80% of gun homicides occur in urban areas
- Gang-related gun homicides account for 13% of total homicides
- Domestic violence-related gun homicides increased 12% post-2019
- In 2022, Philadelphia saw 516 gun homicides
- Firearm homicide rate for Black females 15x higher than white females
- Handguns used in 59% of gun homicides in 2021
- Gun homicides in the US are 25x higher than other high-income countries
- Teen boys aged 15-19 had gun homicide rate of 19.2 per 100,000
- Justification homicides with guns averaged 1,000 annually
- Chicago recorded 697 gun homicides in 2021
- Gun homicides linked to drugs/organized crime in 20% of cases
- Baltimore gun homicide rate 50 per 100,000 in 2022
- Firearm homicides rose 30% in suburbs 2019-2021
- Women victims of gun homicide often killed by intimate partners at 34x rate
- Gun homicides in schools averaged 20 per year 2018-2022
- St. Louis had highest gun homicide rate 69.4 per 100,000 in 2022
- Police shot and killed 1,176 people with guns in 2023
- New Orleans gun homicide rate 73 per 100,000 in 2022
Gun Homicides Interpretation
This tragic, infuriating data paints a portrait of an American failure, where a lethal epidemic of inequality and access claims tens of thousands, disproportionately shattering Black communities, cities, and youth, while our political inaction remains the one consistent statistic.
Gun Injuries
- Nearly 2 million people injured by guns from 2017-2021
- Gunshot injuries cost $2.8 billion in hospital charges in 2016
- Non-fatal gun assaults average 80,000 annually
- Children under 18 hospitalized for gun injuries doubled 2010-2022
- 150,000+ non-fatal gun injuries yearly
- Gun injury rate for Black males 25-34 is 328 per 100,000
- Emergency dept visits for gun assaults up 49% 2019-2021
- Paralysis from gun injuries affects 17,000 yearly
- Pediatric gun injuries cost $1.3 billion 2010-2020
- 40% of gun injury survivors suffer PTSD
- Nonfatal gun victimizations 467,000 annually 2017-2021
- Hospital stays for gun injuries averaged 4.5 days, cost $19,800 each
- Gun injuries among women rose 70% 2019-2022
- 80% of gun injuries from assaults, 10% unintentional
- Lifetime medical costs for gun injuries exceed $2.5 billion yearly
- Teen gun injury hospitalization rate 10.5 per 100,000 in 2021
- Rural gun injury rates 20% higher than urban post-2019
- Defensive gun uses result in 500,000 injuries yearly estimate
- Gunshot wounds require 6.5x more surgeries than other trauma
- 25,000 children injured by guns annually 2015-2019
- Nonfatal gun injuries disproportionately affect low-income areas
- Medicare paid $90 million for gun injuries in 2019
- Gun injuries lead to 30% amputation rate in survivors
- Women gun injury victims often from IPV, 1 million since 2016
- 2022 saw 40,000+ nonfatal gun injuries tracked
- Gun injury disparities: Black rate 10x Asian rate
Gun Injuries Interpretation
Behind the staggering numbers—from a child’s hospital bill to an amputee’s PTSD to a city's trauma ward—our nation is not just debating rights, but hemorrhaging lives, limbs, and treasure at a pace so relentless it has become the brutal new normal.
Gun Suicides
- In 2021, 14,616 people died by gun suicide
- Gun suicides accounted for 54% of all suicides in 2021
- White males had a gun suicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 in 2021
- From 2019-2020, gun suicides increased by 2.5%
- Elderly men over 75 had the highest gun suicide rate at 40.5 per 100,000
- 85% of gun suicides are by white males
- States with higher gun ownership have 3x higher gun suicide rates
- Gun suicides rose 36% from 2007-2021 among rural populations
- In 2022, 27,000 gun suicides estimated
- Veterans account for 13.5% of gun suicides despite being 7% of population
- Gun suicide rate for men is 5.9 times higher than women
- From 1999-2020, 398,368 gun suicides occurred
- Midwest had gun suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 in 2021
- Youth gun suicides tripled from 2007-2021
- 50% of gun suicides involve handguns
- Gun availability increases suicide risk by 3x in homes
- In 2021, gun suicides outpaced gun homicides 2:1
- American Indian/Alaska Native had gun suicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000
- Gun suicides in children aged 10-19 increased 83% from 2011-2021
- In 2023, over 15,000 gun suicides reported by mid-year
- States with secure storage laws have 8% lower gun suicide rates
- Gun suicide attempts have 85-90% fatality rate vs 5% for other methods
- Rural gun suicide rate 2x urban in 2021
- From 2015-2019, 60% of gun deaths were suicides
Gun Suicides Interpretation
It is a grim arithmetic where the weapons we stockpile for a sense of safety are statistically far more likely to complete a private tragedy, turning a moment of crisis into a finality as predictable as it is preventable.
Mass Shootings
- In 2022, 653 mass shootings defined as 4+ victims shot
- 2023 saw 656 mass shootings by December, highest on record
- Uvalde school shooting killed 21, injured 17 on May 24, 2022
- Buffalo supermarket shooting killed 10 Black shoppers on May 14, 2022
- Highland Park parade shooting killed 7, injured 48 on July 4, 2022
- Monterey Park dance hall shooting killed 11 on Jan 21, 2023
- Allen TX outlet mall shooting killed 8 on May 6, 2023
- Nashville school shooting killed 6 on March 27, 2023
- El Paso Walmart shooting killed 23 in 2019
- Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas killed 17 in 2018
- Las Vegas concert shooting killed 60, injured 411 in 2017
- Pulse nightclub Orlando killed 49 in 2016
- Sutherland Springs church shooting killed 26 in 2017
- Dayton OH entertainment district killed 9 in 2019
- San Bernardino workplace killed 14 in 2015
- Virginia Beach municipal building killed 12 in 2019
- Oxford MI school shooting killed 4 in 2021
- Boulder CO supermarket killed 10 in 2021
- 82% of mass shooters obtained guns legally
- Mass shootings increased 300% from 2013-2023
- Public mass shootings average 1 every 64 days since 1982
- In 2022, 647 people killed in mass shootings
- Schools saw 346 gun incidents in 2022-2023 school year
- Workplace mass shootings killed 179 from 2006-2017
- 54% of mass shooters had history of domestic violence
- AR-15 style rifles used in 25 notable mass shootings since 1990
- Mass shootings by white supremacists rose 320% 2014-2022
- From 1966-2019, 172 public mass shooters killed 1,196
- In 2023, 32 mass killings with 4+ deaths by gun
- Active shooter incidents rose from 3 in 2000 to 80 in 2022
- In 2021, 689 people injured in mass shootings
- Mass shootings in houses of worship totaled 99 since 1999
Mass Shootings Interpretation
If the chilling monotony of these statistics were a sound, it would be the relentless rack of a slide being chambered, a nation repeatedly choosing to hear the shot rather than change the record.
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