While the statistics tell a staggering story of 656 mass shootings in 2023 alone and a 250% surge over a decade, each number represents a profound human tragedy that has reshaped American life.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 656 mass shootings in the US, defined as incidents where four or more people were shot excluding the shooter
- From 1982 to September 2024, the US had 151 mass shootings with at least four fatalities, per the Mother Jones database
- Between 2014 and 2023, mass shootings increased by 250% according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security
- In 2022, 20,138 gun murders occurred in the US per CDC provisional data
- Firearms were used in 79% of all US homicides in 2021 per FBI UCR
- Black males aged 15-34 had a gun homicide rate of 103.2 per 100,000 in 2022 per CDC
- In 2021, 44,313 nonfatal firearm injuries treated in US ERs per CDC
- Firearm assault injuries 80,683 in 2022 per NEISS/CDC
- Children under 18 had 4,039 gun assault injuries 2022 per CDC WISQARS
- Since 2010, 17,927 school shootings incidents per Everytown
- 346 K-12 school shootings 2022-2024 per Education Week
- 428 students/teachers killed in school shootings since Columbine per Washington Post
- Police shot 1,232 people in 2023 per Mapping Police Violence
- 1,176 killed by police gunfire 2022, 97% armed per WaPo database
- Black Americans 24% of police shooting victims but 13% population per Statista
US mass shootings have risen dramatically to now occur almost daily.
Gun Homicides
- In 2022, 20,138 gun murders occurred in the US per CDC provisional data
- Firearms were used in 79% of all US homicides in 2021 per FBI UCR
- Black males aged 15-34 had a gun homicide rate of 103.2 per 100,000 in 2022 per CDC
- From 2019-2020, gun homicides surged 45% per Pew Research
- 14,717 gun homicide victims in 2021 per CDC NVSS
- Handguns used in 53% of gun homicides 2021 per FBI
- Gun homicide rate for Black Americans 28.2 per 100,000 in 2022 vs 1.8 for whites per CDC
- 54% of homicide victims killed by gun in 2022 per FBI SHR
- Youth gun homicides (ages 1-17) reached 2,590 in 2021 per CDC
- Gun homicides in large cities averaged 70% of total gun deaths 2015-2020 per Johns Hopkins
- Rifles used in 4% of gun homicides 2021 per FBI
- Gun homicide victims increased 35% from 2019-2022 per CDC WONDER
- Males 88% of gun homicide victims 2022 per CDC
- Chicago had 697 gun homicides in 2021 per CPD
- Gun homicides peaked at 24,576 total murders in 2021 with 79% firearms per FBI
- Hispanic gun homicide rate 7.9 per 100,000 in 2022 per CDC
- Drive-by shootings accounted for 10% of gun homicides per NIJ study
- Gun homicides among children under 18 up 50% 2019-2021 per KFF
- Shotgun homicides 1% of total gun murders 2021 per FBI
- Weekend gun homicides 40% higher than weekdays per GVA 2023
- Unknown firearms in 25% of gun homicides per FBI SHR 2022
- Gun homicide disparity: Black rate 20x Asian rate per CDC 2022
- Philadelphia gun homicides 516 in 2021 per PPD
- Gang-related gun homicides 13% nationally but 80% in large cities per CDC
- Gun homicides fell 3% in 2023 to 19,651 per CDC provisional
- Intimate partner gun homicides 70% female victims per VPC
- Baltimore had 309 gun homicides in 2022 per BPD
- Other/unknown weapons 20% homicides vs 54% guns 2022 per FBI
- Gun homicides in rural areas 25% lower rate than urban per RAND
Gun Homicides Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of American violence reveals a nation where a firearm is the default instrument of homicide, a tragedy that disproportionately claims young Black men at a rate grotesquely higher than their white counterparts, while handguns—not rifles—do the overwhelming majority of this deadly work.
Gun Injuries
- In 2021, 44,313 nonfatal firearm injuries treated in US ERs per CDC
- Firearm assault injuries 80,683 in 2022 per NEISS/CDC
- Children under 18 had 4,039 gun assault injuries 2022 per CDC WISQARS
- Males 85% of nonfatal gun injury patients 2021 per CDC
- Gunshot wounds cost $2.8 billion in ER visits 2016-2020 per Health Affairs
- Black males 15-34 had 1,200 per 100,000 nonfatal gun injury rate 2021 per CDC
- 139 daily nonfatal gun injuries average 2021 per Everytown
- Hospitalizations for gun injuries up 44% 2019-2020 per JAMA
- 500,000+ Americans alive with gun injury effects per Harvard Injury Control
- Lower extremity gun injuries 40% of all per military data adapted civilian
- Pediatric gun injuries 1,300 per week summer 2020 surge per JAMA Pediatrics
- Gun injury survival rate 90% but with lifelong costs $6.9B yearly per Everytown
- Handgun injuries 70% of nonfatal shootings per GVA/CDC
- 25,000 spinal cord injuries from guns lifetime per NSCISC
- Gun injuries in ERs doubled for kids 2019-2021 per CHOP
- Paralysis from gun injuries affects 18,000 annually per Christopher Reeve Foundation
- Women 15% of nonfatal gun assault injuries 2022 per CDC
- Assault rifle injuries more severe, 2x amputation rate per military studies civilianized
- 80% of gun injury survivors suffer PTSD per RAND
- Medicare spent $7B on gun injury care 2006-2015 per Annals of Surgery
- Head/neck gun injuries 20% fatal but 80% nonfatal debilitating per trauma centers
- Gang-related nonfatal shootings 30% of urban injuries per NIJ
- Elderly gun injury hospitalization rate 5 per 100,000 per CDC
- Repeat gun injury victims 20-40% per urban studies
- Torso gun injuries 50% mortality if untreated per ATLS data
- Gun injuries caused 1.5M lost workdays yearly pre-pandemic per CDC
Gun Injuries Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim American reality where a stunning number survive the bullet only to be sentenced to a lifetime of physical, financial, and psychological trauma, with the burden falling heaviest on the young, the Black, and the urban poor.
Mass Shootings
- In 2023, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 656 mass shootings in the US, defined as incidents where four or more people were shot excluding the shooter
- From 1982 to September 2024, the US had 151 mass shootings with at least four fatalities, per the Mother Jones database
- Between 2014 and 2023, mass shootings increased by 250% according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security
- In 2022, 636 mass shootings occurred, the second-highest on record per Gun Violence Archive
- Public mass shootings in the US averaged 2.5 per year from 1982-2011, rising to 5 per year post-2011 per FBI data
- From Jan to Oct 2024, 585 mass shootings reported by Gun Violence Archive
- Everytown tracked 772 mass shootings in 2023 with four or more shot injured or killed
- K-12 schools saw 296 mass shootings from 1966-2024 per Education Week database
- Workplace mass shootings accounted for 14% of all mass shootings from 2006-2019 per BLS data
- In 2021, 689 mass shootings per Gun Violence Archive, highest annual total
- RAND Corporation found 172 public mass shootings from 1966-2019 killing 1,125
- From 2000-2019, 3,517 deaths from public mass shootings per FBI
- Mass shootings in US rose from 10 in 2019 to 690 in 2021 per GVA
- 82% of mass public shooters were motivated by personal grievances per Violence Project
- Between 1982-2022, 54% of mass shooters obtained guns legally per Mother Jones
- In 2024 YTD, 466 mass shootings with 609 killed per GVA
- Amusement venues saw 25 mass shootings from 2000-2019 per FBI
- 31% of mass shootings occur in homes per GVA 2023 data
- From 2013-2022, 4,290 mass shooting victims per Everytown
- Black Americans comprised 52% of mass shooting victims 2023 per GVA
- 2023 saw mass shootings every 13.5 hours on average per GVA
- Retail settings had 82 active shooter incidents 2000-2019 per FBI
- 64% of mass shooters had mental health histories per Violence Project database
- Gun shows linked to 1% of mass shooter gun sources per Mother Jones
- 2022 mass shootings up 6% from 2021 per GVA
- Healthcare facilities 10% of active shooter events 2000-2019 per FBI
- Males 97% of mass public shooters since 1966 per RAND
- 2024 Q1 had 140 mass shootings per GVA
- Family disputes 43% of mass shootings per GVA 2023
- In 2020, 611 mass shootings despite pandemic per GVA
Mass Shootings Interpretation
America has tragically engineered a society where mass shootings have shifted from shocking rarities to grimly predictable statistics, haunting our schools, workplaces, and daily lives with a horrifying and escalating regularity.
Officer-Involved Shootings
- Police shot 1,232 people in 2023 per Mapping Police Violence
- 1,176 killed by police gunfire 2022, 97% armed per WaPo database
- Black Americans 24% of police shooting victims but 13% population per Statista
- 277 unarmed people shot by police 2015-2024 per WaPo
- Police use-of-force incidents involving guns 1,100+ annually per DOJ
- 55% of police shootings involve handguns suspects possess per FBI LEOKA
- Mental health crisis 25% of fatal police shootings per Treatment Advocacy
- 2024 YTD 850+ police shootings per Mapping Police Violence
- Males 95% of police shooting fatalities per WaPo 2015-2024
- Traffic stops 20% of police shooting scenarios per Police Executive Research Forum
- 16% of police shooting victims Black women per Archbridge/VPC
- Officer-involved shootings down 10% from 2020 peak per FBI
- 75% of fatal shootings justified by threat per DOJ analyses
- California led with 181 police shootings 2023 per CA DOJ
- Taser use preceded 15% of shootings per Police1 study
- 1 in 5 police shootings involve vehicle pursuits per Police Executive
- Hispanic 18% police shooting deaths 2023 per MPV
- Body cams present in 60% of 2023 shootings per Axios analysis
- 30% of police shootings domestic violence calls per NIJ
- White suspects 46% of police shooting victims per WaPo
- Repeat officer-involved shootings rare, 1% officers per PERF
- Nighttime 50% higher risk for police shootings per WaPo data
- 2021 peak 1,145 police killings by gun per MPV
- Knives in 15% of police shooting justifications per FBI
- Texas 192 police shootings 2023 per TX DPS
- 40% of unarmed victims fleeing on foot per WaPo
- Police shot 113 dogs in officer-involved incidents 2023 partial
Officer-Involved Shootings Interpretation
While the data reveals that three out of four fatal police shootings are ruled justified threats, the tragic arithmetic of over a thousand annual incidents—where Black Americans are disproportionately represented, mental health crises frequently factor, and hundreds of unarmed or fleeing individuals have been shot—demands a far more urgent and nuanced national reckoning than mere statistics can provide.
School Shootings
- Since 2010, 17,927 school shootings incidents per Everytown
- 346 K-12 school shootings 2022-2024 per Education Week
- 428 students/teachers killed in school shootings since Columbine per Washington Post
- 1,400+ gun incidents on school grounds 2021-2022 school year per GAO
- Uvalde 2022: 21 killed in elementary school shooting per official reports
- Parkland 2018: 17 killed, 17 injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS
- Sandy Hook 2012: 26 killed including 20 children at elementary school
- 80% of school shooters obtained guns from family/home per Secret Service
- 95% of school attackers male per Secret Service NTAC 2002-2019
- 51 intentional school shootings 1970-2022 per K-12SSDB
- Virginia Tech 2007: 32 killed, largest college shooting
- 75% of school shooters experienced social isolation per Secret Service
- Oxford MS 2021: 4 students killed by classmate
- 300+ accidental discharges on school grounds since 2018 per Everytown
- Columbine 1999: 13 killed, 24 injured
- 62% of school attacks involved handgun per Secret Service
- 2023-2024 school year 151 gun discharges on campuses per Everytown
- 40% of school shooters leaked plans beforehand per FBI/Secret Service
- UNC Chapel Hill 2023: professor killed by ex-student
- Mental health issues in 77% of school attackers per Secret Service
- 2022 had record 46 school shootings per Education Week
- Majority of school gun deaths post-Columbine in first 5 years of data per CDC
- 25 universities saw fatal shootings 2018-2023 per Chronicle of Higher Ed
School Shootings Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of American school safety is a tragic formula where a boy, too often isolated and with signals ignored, takes a handgun from home and shatters the fundamental promise of a classroom.
Sources & References
- Reference 1GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 2MOTHERJONESmotherjones.comVisit source
- Reference 3DHSdhs.govVisit source
- Reference 4FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 5EVERYTOWNRESEARCHeverytownresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 6EDWEEKedweek.orgVisit source
- Reference 7BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 8RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 9THEVIOLENCEPROJECTtheviolenceproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 10CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 11UCRucr.fbi.govVisit source
- Reference 12WONDERwonder.cdc.govVisit source
- Reference 13PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 14CDEcde.ucr.cjis.govVisit source
- Reference 15PUBLICHEALTHpublichealth.jhu.eduVisit source
- Reference 16HOMEhome.chicagopolice.orgVisit source
- Reference 17NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 18KFFkff.orgVisit source
- Reference 19PHILLYPOLICEphillypolice.comVisit source
- Reference 20VPCvpc.orgVisit source
- Reference 21PUBLICpublic.tableau.comVisit source
- Reference 22WISQARSwisqars.cdc.govVisit source
- Reference 23HEALTHAFFAIRShealthaffairs.orgVisit source
- Reference 24JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.comVisit source
- Reference 25HSPHhsph.harvard.eduVisit source
- Reference 26NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 27NSCISCnscisc.uab.eduVisit source
- Reference 28CHOPchop.eduVisit source
- Reference 29CHRISTOPHERREEVEchristopherreeve.orgVisit source
- Reference 30JOURNALSjournals.lww.comVisit source
- Reference 31PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 32FACSfacs.orgVisit source
- Reference 33WASHINGTONPOSTwashingtonpost.comVisit source
- Reference 34GAOgao.govVisit source
- Reference 35TEXASRANGERHALLOFFAMEtexasrangerhalloffame.orgVisit source
- Reference 36CNNcnn.comVisit source
- Reference 37SECRETSERVICEsecretservice.govVisit source
- Reference 38K12SSDBk12ssdb.orgVisit source
- Reference 39NEWSOBSERVERnewsobserver.comVisit source
- Reference 40CHRONICLEchronicle.comVisit source
- Reference 41MAPPINGPOLICEVIOLENCEmappingpoliceviolence.orgVisit source
- Reference 42STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 43JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 44LEle.fbi.govVisit source
- Reference 45TREATMENTADVOCACYCENTERtreatmentadvocacycenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 46POLICEFORUMpoliceforum.orgVisit source
- Reference 47OAGoag.ca.govVisit source
- Reference 48POLICE1police1.comVisit source
- Reference 49AXIOSaxios.comVisit source
- Reference 50DPSdps.texas.govVisit source
- Reference 51POLICINGPROJECTpolicingproject.orgVisit source